40: 5 Questions to Help You Choose the Right Support for Your Public Sector Career Shift

Find the full transcript at spacetoshiftyourcareer.com/40

Imagine you’re shopping for a car.

You could buy:

- a reliable Toyota: It works. It gets you from A to B. It’s affordable.
- a sports car: Fast, exciting, cutting-edge technology. But maybe more than you need. 
- a truck: Practical if that’s your life. Wasteful if it’s not.

None of them is objectively “the best car.” They’re just different cars for different people - with different needs and preferences.

The same is true when you’re looking for support to navigate a career change.

There are different options. All legitimate. All useful for the right person in the right situation.

But the right option for you depends entirely on who you are, how you learn best, and what you actually need to move forward.

In this episode, I talk you through the differences between three main options. 

And I share 5 question you should ask yourself to make a choice that’s actually right for YOU.

***

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. 

Transcript

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Imagine you're shopping for a car. You could buy a reliable Toyota. It works. It gets you from A to B. It's affordable. You could buy a sports car. Fast, exciting, cutting edge technology, but maybe more than you need. Or you could buy a truck. Practical if that's your life. Wasteful if it's not. None of these vehicles is objectively the best car. They're just different cars for different people with different needs and preferences. The same is true when you're looking for support to navigate a career change. There are different options, all legitimate, or useful for the right person in the right situation. But the right option for you depends entirely on who you are, how you learn best, and what you actually need to move forward. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through the differences between three main options. And I'm going to share five questions you should ask yourself to make a choice that's actually right for you. You are listening to Space to Shift Your Career, a free resource for leaders in the public sector wondering what's next. I'm Yvonda Vides 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. When public sector leaders decide to invest in navigating a career change, they have different options. Not just in price, but in how they work and what you can expect from them. Option number one, self-directed learning. You can access content, courses, books, podcasts. You work through the material on your own. You apply what you've learned. The benefits are that this is affordable, flexible, and you work at your own pace. But here's what I've noticed. Many public sector leaders start with enthusiasm, but then they stop. One of my clients told me she had signed up for an online course about career change, but she never finished it. When I asked her why, she said, I got part way through and then I had a hard question. I didn't know what to do. Then things were busy at work and I got distracted by personal stuff in my private life. There was no one there to help me work through it, so I just stopped. That's the limitation of self-directed learning. It can build knowledge, but it often doesn't translate into action. Option number two, AI tools. These are sophisticated. They ask good questions, available twenty for seven and affordable. I tried different ones myself. I got some insights from working through the prompts, but I didn't implement any of them. Why? Because an AI doesn't really know me, doesn't believe in me, and doesn't create accountability. When I wanted to quit, there was no one saying, hey, remember what you said last week? You said this mattered. Let's think through what's getting in the way. AI tools can be useful to brainstorm ideas, but taking action, change, and real transformation usually requires something more. Plus, not everyone is comfortable to share their most personal thoughts and fears with such a tool. Concerns about data privacy and security are real and valid. Option number three, working with a human guide. The investment is higher, yes. It requires showing up regularly. It demands vulnerability. But here's what it offers that the other tools can't. Accountability for one. You know you'll talk to this person again, so you actually do the work. Witness. Someone sees you, understands your situation, believes in your ability to figure this out, and that belief matters. Challenge. A good guide asks hard questions, points out patterns, and holds up a mirror. Support through the scary parts. Change can be frightening. A guide helps you move through doubt instead of getting stuck in it. So then a public sector leader I interviewed in my previous podcast called Shifted, put it like this. I only change when I feel accountable to another human being. Someone I have to face again and explain myself to. That's the power of human connection in the change process. What helps you decide what's best for you? Ask yourself these five questions. 1. What's your track record with self-directed learning? Be honest. When you start a course, do you finish it? When you make a plan, do you follow through? If yes, you are disciplined and implement what you learn. Self-directed learning might work for you. If no, you get stuck and don't action anything, you probably need more support. Question two. Have you ever invested in something that improved your life? A personal trainer, a therapist, a coach, or a mentor? How did it feel? And what did you gain from it? This tells you something about whether investing in yourself feels worth it to you. Question three, what would actually help you take action? Is it having good content? Or do you need someone to help you work through obstacles? To hold you accountable, to believe in you, be honest about what you actually need, not what you think you should need. Question four. What are the costs of staying where you are? Worry, time, energy, your sense of self. Capture that in ours, in your physical and mental health, really see it. Then compare to the cost of investing in support. Usually that comparison makes the decision clearer. When you choose to work with someone, what matters is that you feel a genuine connection, that you believe they understand your situation and what you are struggling with. That their process will help you gain the clarity you are looking for. Whatever you choose, make the choice consciously. Choose based on who you are, how you actually learn and change, what you genuinely need to move forward, what you believe is worth investing in. When you make a conscious choice, you are more likely to follow through. You are committed. And commitment is what creates change. So ask yourself, question number five, what specifically would help me make the best decision for myself? Listen to your answer and act on it. Because you're worth the investment. And the career and life you want are waiting on the other side of that choice. 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. 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.