1. Contemplating Leaving?
Charita Branscomb
CVC, NCMA
12 Mar 2013

2. Objectives Identify reasons for leaving your job
Identify key beliefs of successful people
Identify criteria for self-assessment
Devise a plan of execution

3. My name is luca Acquisition Professional
National Special Gov’t Agency, 15 yrs
GS-12, non-supervisory
Small Purchases, 12yrs
Meet Mr. Luca Bitterman is an Acquisition Professional working for the National Special Gov’t Agency for 15 years. He is a GS-12 equivalent in a non-supervisory position. Mr. Bitterman has administered the Agency’s small purchase contracts for 12 of the 15 years.
Luca has a problem.

4. You really got a hold on me
Luca is fed up! He is overworked, underpaid, overwhelmed, undertrained, and down right agitated!
The days when people held one job for all, or most, of their working life are gone. Job searching, in conjunction with career development, has become more of a lifelong endeavor than a one-time event. So how do you know when it is time to move on?
5 ways you can tell that is time to move on:
1) You are chronically worn out, exhausted or depleted (Manifests physical symptoms)
2) Your skills, responsibilities, and tasks are subpar (Don’t care)
3) Salary not worth the effort
4) Doing all the right things, without reward
5) You feel you wasting time

5. (I can’t get no) satisfaction
People become dissatisfied with their jobs when there is a lack of:
Purpose – Not knowing what tasks needs to be accomplished
Direction – No clear directions given on how to accomplish the tasks
Motivation – Lack of passion for performing the tasks
Overarching Reason that people seek career change is that they become dissatisfied with their jobs.
Seventy percent of U.S. employees are either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” at work, according to Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace report
Employers play a key role in determining whether a workplace is enjoyable or not, of course. But employees also maintain significant control over whether they feel fulfilled at work. A lot of what drives performance comes from the culture the manager puts in place, but individuals must take action to increase their own engagement.

6. Movin’ on
So Luca is deciding whether or not to move on, but is he ready for the change?
Let’s Explore

7. I Believe I can fly… Four Key Beliefs of Successful People
I have succeeded
I can succeed
I will succeed
I choose to succeed
These four key beliefs are essential and are common beliefs shared by successful people;
I have succeeded- Successful people believe in their skills and talent
I can succeed – Successful people believe that the have the capability within themselves to make desirable things happen
I will succeed – Successful people have unwavering optimism
I choose to succeed – Successful people believe that they are doing what they do because they choose to do it. (Committed)
Yet these same beliefs can also can make it tough to move from where you are now to where you want to go.

8. …Maybe not! Our beliefs make us superstitious.
A specific activity that is followed by a positive reinforcement is actually the cause of that positive reinforcement.
The four key beliefs infer that a certain types of behavior will consistently result in a positive outcome which make us superstitious as we begin to believe that what got us here will move us to the next level. Remember the elements of classical condition? It is common practice in the work place in the form of positive reinforcement. For example, professionals repeat certain behaviors when they believe there is some type of reward such as verbal praise or pay increases. Most will perform the nonsensical tasks if there is a perception of reward.

9. Hello again Acquisition Professional
National Special Gov’t Agency, 15 yrs
GS-12, non-supervisory
Small Purchases, 12yrs
Luca needs to conduct a self assessment before he commits to leaving NSGA.

10. Spinning wheel Self Assessment
Does Luca have skills/traits employers ARE looking for?
Does Luce have the skills/traits that employers AREN’T looking for?
In his self assessment, Luca will need to take a hard look at not only his strengths but also his weakness. He will also have to explore what has contributed to his frustration (perceived vs actual; internal or external)
5 Common Areas Employers Take into Consideration
Education - While education used to be the number one requirement, bachelor degrees are flooding the market. Think about this if the DAU requirement for acquisition personnel is a bachelor’s degree How do you stand out?
Experience – The value of the experience depends on the employer. Some may want a fresh canvas that can be modeled to fit the organization’s needs while other will look for readily available skill sets to mitigate the time/dollars spent on training.
Positive Impact– What else is being brought to the table (soft skills, technical?)
Passion – A love for what it is you do

11. SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME
ATTITUDE
Positive Traits
Negative Traits
COMMUNICATION
Strong
Weak
WORK ETHIC
Self Starter
Lacks Initiative
TEAM WORK
Positive Impact
Negative Impact
For good reasons the warning of “mind your p’s and q’s” came long before the invention of surveillance cams and Facebook. What our mothers & grandmother’s were trying to instill in us is that someone is always watching. The same holds true in the work place. When perform his self assessment Luca should focus on four essential pillars Attitude, Communication, Work Ethic, Teamwork
Attitude: Positive – Optimism, cheerfulness, enthusiastic anxiety(overcoming self doubt)
Negative – Hubris, braggadocios, clinging to the past
Communication : Positive -Good communication does not mean that you have to have a great vocabulary or excellent writing skills, but it does require the ability to connect to other people. Neg- Judgemental, Destructive/negative comments, failure to express gratitude
Work Ethic – project enthusiam, integrity, dependability, cooperation, competence, diligence, and loyalty
Team work – Cooperation is key! Treat everyone with respect; learn to listen, praise, try new ideas, express regret
Negative – Competiveness, passing the buck, withholdig info, claiming credit

12. You got me going in circles
Acquisition Professional
National Special Gov’t Agency, 15 yrs
GS-12, non-supervisory
Small Purchases, 12yrs
Once Luca has completed his self assessment, he must devise a plan whether he chooses to stay with NSGA or begins to explore new horizons

13. If you stay Accept the known
Promotion opportunities
Fiscal environment
Workforce/Workload
Successful career professionals know how to leave the past behind them and look forward to their goal.
If Luca decides to stay, he will have to establish a new goal for himself (we are assuming that his old goal was unachieveable) that may mean he will have to come to terms that there is something about himself that is not producing the results that he is looking for. He may opt to increase his education, change his work habits, volunteer for extra duties, whatever it takes to get noticed.

14. Break away Seek Other Opportunities Internal / External
Change career field
Make a geographical change
If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got!
Seek Opportunities Elsewhere - Perhaps it is time to look somewhere else? Talking to your supervisor or HR, to see opportunities exist within your agency. A intra-agency transfer maybe possible. There are unfilled needs across DoD. See USAJobs.
Geographic Changes - Are you geographically tied? If so, your opportunities may be limited. However, if you are able and willing to
move (including the family) there are many opportunities that match your skill set.
Career Changes - Maybe it is time for a career change altogether! If you are not satisfied with your line of work or you don't have
a sense of accomplishment with what you do, perhaps there is something you'd like to do more. It is never too late. It may be possible
to so within your existing organization.

15. Conclusion
Luca nor you have to spend a life time in an unfulfilling job.
Conduct a realistic self-assessment
Devise a plan and stick with it
Note: The average baby boomer held 11.3 jobs from the age 18 to age 46.
Conduct a realistic self-assessment. Ask the hard questions like does your work reflect for itself; do you need improvement; do you have what it takes to thrive at the next level.
Once you have assessed your strengths and weaknesses. Devise a plan of action and stick with it.

16. Sources Bureau of Labor Statistics – www.bls.gov
State of the America Workplace Report
The Twelve Essential Laws for Becoming Indispensible by Dr. Tony Weiss
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith
Forbes Magazine

17. Song Titles & Artists My Name is Luca- Suzanne Vega
You Really Got a Hold On Me – Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
I Can’t Get No Satisfaction – Rolling Stones
I’m Movin On – Rascal Flatts
I Believe I Can Fly – R.Kelly
Maybe Not – Cat Power
Hello Again – Neil Diamond
Spinning Wheel – Blood, Sweat, & Tears
Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
You Got Me Going in Circles- Friends of Distinction
If You Stay – Backstreet Boys
Break Away – Kelly Clarkson

18. Lastly!
Keep your THOUGHTS positive because your THOUGHTS become your WORDS.
Keep your WORDS positive because your WORDS become your BEHAVIOR.
Keep your BEHAVIOR positive because your BEHAVIOR become your HABITS.
Keep your HABITS positive because your HABITS become your VALUES.
Keep your VALUES positive because your VALUES become your DESTINY.
–Mahatma Ghandi