Space To Shift Your Career
Welcome to Space to Shift Your Career!
This show, hosted by Yvonne Davidis, invites leaders in the public sector to explore new paths that reflect who they are now and how they want their career to evolve in future.
Episodes cover how to overcome the feeling of being trapped, get motivated to take action and tap into your creativity to design exciting possibilities for yourself.
The podcast also offers strategies and tools to help you navigate the shifts and turns on the way to living out your ideal career and life.
Space To Shift Your Career
32: Avoid Leaping Blindly into Your Public Sector Career Change
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Full transcript at https://spacetoshiftyourcareer.com/32
When public sector leaders think about career change, they often picture a leap. A big, bold, all-or-nothing move.
They imagine it’s about leaving everything behind… and hoping the next thing works out. And that image can feel risky and scary.
Because…
What if it doesn’t work?
What if you lose what you’ve built?
What if you make the wrong decision?
So instead of moving… you stay where you are. Because it feels safer.
But career change doesn’t have to be a blind leap.
In fact, when you build a smart career transition strategy, it is a series of small, manageable and deliberate steps.
In this episode of the Space To Shift Your Career podcast, I share 3 ways to manage the risks that come with changing careers.
Have a listen and find out how to avoid leaping blindly.
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Yvonne Davidis helps public sector leaders develop exciting career options that align with who they are now and how they want to evolve in future.
With 20+ years of moving countries, working for the UK and Denmark across three continents, plus professional coaching certifications, Yvonne is a unique specialist for leaders in the public sector considering their next chapter.
Book a 90-minute Jumpstart Session to clarify your deal-breakers and must-haves for a more satisfying work experience.
For step-by-step support on your career change journey apply here for Yvonne's 5-month Find Your Career Space programme, and she'll be in touch to invite you to a free discovery call.
When public sector leaders think about career change, they often picture a leap, a big, bold, all or nothing move. They imagine it's about leaving everything behind and hoping the next thing works out. And that image can feel risky and scary. Because what if it doesn't work? What if you lose what you've built? What if you make the wrong decision? So instead of moving, you stay where you are because it feels safer. But career change doesn't have to be a blind leap. In fact, when you build a smart career transition strategy, it is a series of small, manageable, and deliberate steps. In this episode of the Space to Shift Your Career podcast, I share three ways to manage the risks that come with changing careers. Have a listen to find out how to avoid leaping blindly. You are listening to Space to Shift Your Career, a free resource for leaders in the public sector wondering what's next. I'm Yvanda Vidas and I've created this podcast to invite you to explore new paths that reflect who you are now and how you want your career to evolve in the future. I have a talent for creating a high trust space so you can reflect, think out loud and test your assumptions. And I love helping you explore, dream and discover new possibilities for yourself. I moved country several times and I know what it's like to change careers, both within and out of the public sector. And I'm a trained career change and executive leadership coach. I've been working with career shifters as a mentor since 2013. And as a coach since I started my business in 2022. Now subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. Now let's go. Most public sector leaders I work with aren't afraid of change itself. They have navigated a fair share of change in their career. They're afraid of losing financial stability, damaging their reputation, or closing doors. It's not change itself that feels risky. It's the unknown consequences of that change. So the question is not about how to avoid risk. It is about how you manage risk in a way that allows you to move forward. As a public sector leader, you do this a lot in your work. You or your team have risk registers for big programs and change processes. I actually have an entire episode on how this risk culture impacts your approach to changing careers. Check it out, it's episode 11 called Has the Public Sector Warped Your Personal Approach to Risk? Today I want to share three practical ways to manage the risks that come with changing your public sector career. The first way to manage risk is to replace assumptions with information. A lot of the risk we perceive comes from what we don't know. What is that role I'm interested in actually like? Would I even enjoy working in that environment? What would I need to transition? When those questions stay unanswered, your brain fills the gaps, usually with worst-case scenarios. So to navigate this risk, I invite you to go and find out, talk to people doing the work, ask about their day-to-day reality, understand the challenges, not just the highlights. This does two things. One, it reduces uncertainty, and two, it helps you to make decisions based on reality, not assumptions or fear. The second way to manage risk is to experiment. You will have heard me say this before. You don't have to make a full decision upfront. You can explore an idea through conversations, taking on a small project or collaboration, learning something new related to a different career path. Think of this as creating low risk experiments. So instead of asking yourself, is this the right move? Take a lighter approach and ask yourself, what can I learn from trying this out? Because every small step gives you data about what you enjoy, what fits and what doesn't. And over time, those small insights build clarity, a clearer picture about what you could turn into a sustainable solution. The third way to manage risk is to support yourself properly. Because risk doesn't just exist externally, it's also internal. So ask yourself, what financial stability do I need to keep paying my expenses? To feel safe? To be safe. Who can support me to figure this out? Both practically and emotionally. What routines or practices help me stay grounded when my head starts spinning? This might look like building a financial buffer or having honest conversations with people you trust, being intentional and deliberate with your time, what and who you prioritize and how you manage your own mind. When your foundations are strong, you can handle uncertainty much more effectively. Risk doesn't disappear when you stay where you are, but it changes form. There's also a risk in staying in a role that no longer fits, ignoring what actually matters to you now, or in delaying change for years, especially when you know deep down that something needs to change for you. So it's not about choosing risk or no risk. It's about choosing which risk are you more willing to take. If you're wondering where to start, I invite you to ask yourself, where am I currently overestimating risk because I lack information? And what's one step I could take to reduce that uncertainty? Career change will always involve some level of risk, but it doesn't have to be reckless. With the right approach and the smart transition strategy, it can be thoughtful, gradual, and grounded. And that's what allows you to move forward without leaping blindly. Until next time, make space, rediscover you, and then take action. Thank you for listening today. You care about solving real problems and making a difference. And you feel it's time to figure out in what way you can do that in the next chapter of your career. Learn more about how I help leaders in the public sector break through four limiting beliefs about shifting their career. It's space to shiftyourcareer.com. And if you're getting value from this podcast, please do share it with other public sector leaders who are considering what's next for them.
