One thing I’ve noticed time and time again when people first reach out to us is that they almost always come with a ‘big’ change on their mind – a career change, a complete industry switch or a new job. And sometimes, yes, that is absolutely the right move. But what often surprises people is that it isn’t always warranted.
Many of the clients we work with discover that what they actually needed wasn’t a complete overhaul, but rather to become more intentional about their career and to make a few smaller, targeted changes that can have a powerful impact on how engaged, energised and motivated you feel at work.
This week I had the pleasure of running some workshops for a great organisation in Melbourne on the topic of ‘job crafting’ – the process of proactively shaping your role to better align with your strengths, interests and values to feel more energised, engaged, and motivated at work.
It was a great reminder that sometimes the answer isn’t a dramatic leap. Sometimes, it just takes some small, intentional tweaks.
So if you’ve been feeling a little flat lately, going through the motions, or wondering whether the spark you once had is gone for good, I want to share four practical things you can start doing right now.
1. Lead with your strengths
Research by Gallup found that people who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged at work.
Start by asking yourself: when do I feel most energised? What tasks light me up versus drain me? Once you know what your strengths are, look for ways to dial them up (even 10%) within your current role.
Could you take on a project that plays to what you do best?
Could you volunteer to run a small-group session, mentor a colleague, or lead a piece of work that genuinely excites you?
2. Get curious about the content of your work
Engagement often drops when we stop being curious. Think about what problems you actually enjoy solving and what areas you’d love to explore further. From there, you can design small “career experiments”, things like volunteering for a cross-functional project, attending a webinar, or even an informal coffee chat with someone in a role that interests you. These low-risk experiments are a great way to test your ideas and to open up your mind to new possibilities.
3. Take stock of how you’re working, not just what you’re doing
Sometimes disengagement isn’t about the work itself but about the conditions around how you are working. Think about your ideal working environment: the level of responsibility you want, whether you thrive with people or prefer deep solo focus, your commute, your hours, remote vs office.
Ask yourself what’s working well right now, and what might need a small tweak. You might be surprised how much a shift in how you work can change how you feel about what you do.
4. Keep learning
One of the fastest ways to re-energise is to learn something new. And you don’t need to enrol in a formal course to do it. Some of the most effective learning happens on the job through stretch assignments, job shadowing, mentoring, or simply raising your hand for something outside your usual remit. Ask yourself: what new skill would I like to build in the next six months, and who in my organisation could I learn from?
The good news is that a fulfilling career isn’t something that just happens to you – it’s something that you can intentionally design. And it doesn’t always need to start with a big, scary change.
Sometimes it starts with a single question: what’s one small thing I could do differently this week?
