Rebecca Jackson, Partner at Quanta US.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Lindsay Yellin, Leadership Coach, Speaker, and Founder of Yellin Coaching and Consulting (yellincoaching.com), who specializes in guiding professionals to become impactful leaders. Lindsay’s unique and powerful approach focuses on helping individuals rediscover their strengths and align their leadership style with their true selves, enabling them to lead with greater purpose and effectiveness. During our discussion, Lindsay provided key insights on how to navigate career transitions with clarity and intention.
In this article, Lindsay shares five critical questions that can help professionals successfully manage the challenges of starting a new job. By considering these questions, individuals can enter new roles with a strong sense of direction, aligned with their personal values and poised for success.
5 Key Questions to Navigate Your Job Transition with Purpose
Transitioning to a new job can be both exciting and daunting. It is a fresh opportunity to progress your career but also a time of much professional and personal change.
We invest a lot of time and energy into finding and securing the job but often neglect to prepare ourselves to step into the role with intention, which only heightens stress. It is a commonly missed opportunity that can make a meaningful difference to your confidence and success.
To capitalize on this high potential period, prepare with purpose by spending time with these 5 thought-provoking questions.
1. Who do I want to be in this role?
Connect with your identity and aspirations for this role. How do you want to show up on day one, and who do you want to become? This isn’t just about job titles or responsibilities; it’s about how your personal and professional growth shapes who you are in this job. Defining your desired self sets a clear vision for your growth, aligning your actions with your goals from the start.
Use this reflection as a guide:
Close your eyes and envision yourself in this role, from morning to evening. How do you see yourself? How do you want others to perceive you? What skills and traits will help you achieve this vision, and what new skills do you aim to develop? Do you aspire to be a more influential leader, a more effective communicator, or specialize in a specific field?
2. What are my values?
Understanding your core values is key to finding fulfillment in your new role and shaping your authentic leadership style. Your values act as a compass, guiding you through a new environment. List your top three core values and reflect on how they align with your role. Consider what matters most to you—transparency, integrity, collaboration, etc.—to help identify them. Once you’ve named your values, consider how you can integrate them into how you lead, collaborate with others and manage your work.
Values are a leader’s superpower when used consistently. The more you understand them, the better you can hold yourself and others accountable, avoiding decisions or situations that lead to frustration, unhappiness, or resentment.
Prioritizing your values will help you stay true to yourself and find meaning in your new position.
3. What do I need to let go of?
New jobs are a chance for a fresh start. How can you use this transition to leave behind what deteriorates your happiness and effectiveness?
You don’t have to continue old habits or expectations. Embrace curiosity over assumptions and rethink outdated habits, limiting beliefs, or aspects of your previous job that no longer serve you.
Do you feel obligated to reply to emails at night? Would you feel more balanced if you didn’t? You have the freedom to set new boundaries or expectations with your manager, colleagues, or clients that prioritize your well-being.
Remember, you can choose what to bring into your new environment. Letting go can be challenging, yet essential for growth.
4. Who are my allies?
The first three months of a new job can be tricky as you acclimate. Finding your way around while looking to add value and build relationships is challenging. Having reliable support is crucial.
Here are three types of allies to identify:
- The cheerleader: Who can you call after a tough day? A friend, partner, or former colleague who easily offers compassion or helps to celebrate your victories is a powerful asset.
- The mentor: Who is a trusted advisor in your industry or role? Someone to help you navigate the unknowns and strategize decisions. Turning to someone who ‘gets it’ enables you to move through sticky moments with ease and confidence.
- The go-to: Who at your new company can become your go-to resource for all the little questions that come up? A helpful colleague to guide you on the ‘I’m new here’ stuff and make you feel comfortable.
Identifying your go-to people in advance ensures you’re supported when you need it, reducing uncertainty and easing your transition.
5. What do I need to remind myself?
When the going gets tough, no matter how great your allies are, you have to be ready to support yourself. Do so by prepping encouraging words that act as encouraging reminders.
This powerful and compassionate practice helps to move you through hard moments with resilience versus being held back by them.
This can come to life as a positive affirmations or motivating mantras like:
“I am resourceful and capable, I will figure this out.”
“This is hard but I can do hard things.”
“I chose this role for growth, and this challenge is part of it.”
“This is a moment of growth. What do I have to learn here?”
The quicker you can intercept negative thought patterns or self criticism the faster you will adapt and rise.
Transitions are opportunities for reinvention and growth. By getting curious with yourself you become an active participant in the process that accelerates growth, increases your self-awareness while setting yourself up for success in the next chapter of your career.
BIO
Lindsay Yellin is the founder and lead coach of Yellin Coaching and Consulting (yellincoaching.com). She is a sought-after, dynamic leadership coach and speaker who dedicates herself to transforming stagnant people managers into possibility-driven leaders who inspire engagement and performance through meaningful connection. Lindsay’s unique strategy centers on connecting leaders back to themselves first to unlock clarity and confidence to intentionally expand their leadership impact while powerfully navigating their careers.
Looking for more:
Book your complimentary coaching intro call with Lindsay here:
https://calendly.com/yellin-coaching/chemistry-call
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