To ask for tips on getting motivation/ambition back at work?

[Acapulco12]

I work in the Civil Service, have been in my role for about 2 years and am starting to think about moving to a new role. I’d like to stay in the CS, probably at the same level for now, to avoid too many changes at once, with a change of role and grade.

My main goal is to find a role that fits a bit more closely with my general interests and strengths than my current one. I really like my team and colleagues, and do enjoy some aspects of my current role (and have learned a lot from it), but would really like to find a role where I enjoy the day to day work a bit more.

Alongside wanting a change of role and change of scene, I feel sort of unambitious at work at the moment. I don’t really know what to aim for, apart from finding a new job that I find enjoyable and fulfilling. I’m also keen to look into promotion opportunities, but I don’t have a particular target or path in mind.

I think all of this has come from me coming back from a residential leadership course. I was really looking forward to it and it definitely helped me to have a bit of a reset from the work day-to-day routine. It initially felt very helpful and inspiring, and I took a lot of practical advice away from it and met some amazing people, but there was also a bit of corporate cultish bullshit going on, which irritated me. I know that sounds awful. I’ve never been on any work courses before, so maybe that’s very normal.

I am very lucky though to have a fantastic manager, who is really supportive and is aware that I’m thinking about moving. He is happy to discuss what sort of jobs I could go on to do next, which I am very grateful for. I think I’ll also look into finding a work mentor or coach, to see if they can offer any advice too.

Outside of work, I think I’m fairly ambitious and curious, and I have lots of hobbies and interests that I’m enjoying and doing well in. I’m trying to reduce my time commitment on those so I have less going on, but will carry on with the main ones I enjoy.

I think my main question is - will cutting down on my commitments outside work and looking for a new role help me to regain some work ambition? Would be great to hear as well if you have any other tips on how I can get my
mojo/ambition back at work. I think I just feel stuck in a bit of a rut and quite irritated and frustrated. Thanks for any support or kind words you can offer ❤️

It all sounds a bit . . . comfy. Not that work should be stressful or miserable but do you need more challenge?

Coasting along is never as good as it sounds, eventually it’s demotivating.

Thanks Donotgogentle. I know I haven’t got much detail about my current role and how I feel about it in my post above, but I don’t think I’m coasting. I find my current role quite challenging, as it can be complex and technical and I work quite hard in the role.

I think my feeling and the reason for my post is more about me asking if anyone can advise how I can feel ambitious at work again. It’s mainly how I can plot out a bit of progression plan to work out where I want to get to at work in the short and mid term, and how I can find a role that suits my strengths and interests more, whilst still giving me stretch and challenge. Thanks.

Why do you feel the need to be more ambitious at work? It is not a requirement to progress. In fact, it can be quite fulfilling to remain where you are as long as you love what you do.
I work for the NHS and I have people in my team who've been doing the same job for 20+ years. We are all passionate about our patients and the work that we do. My colleagues and I wrote research papers, taught in conferences, did masters, written PhDs, started podcasts and one of my colleagues recently published a book - all while remaining in the same service at the same pay grade. People in my team almost never leave, those who do are at the beginning of their career and are still figuring out what path they want to take.
I moved from band 5 to band 7 in the first 18 months after graduating because I wanted more challenge and I wanted to try new areas of specialism but now I am settled and have no plans to move. I find my job interesting and challenging, I love my team. I am by no means coasting. I am passionate about my specialism, I regularly attend training and I want to do clinical work, not a paper-pushing management role. Been there, done that in a private sector my entire life.

Thanks Catzsa.

I want to be more ambitious because I feel ready to take on a more challenging role and I am curious to see how far I can get and what my potential is.

However I’m not sure how to plan that out (as far as these sorts of things can be planned) and how to break down that plan into achievable steps.

I’ve never really thought about a 5-year plan or 10-year plan or anything, but I feel ready to have a bit more a of a plan now.

If anyone on this thread is familiar with the Civil Service structure and grades, I’m HEO level and I’d like to get to G7 at some point in the next few years. After that, I’d like to see how much further I can get.

I feel like this should be part of your annual appraisal. Do you have one coming up?
Is there a learning and development team within your organisation?
Sounds like you have plenty of ambition but lack direction and support. Your line manager and your HR should be able to help with that.
I don't recommend reducing your "out of work" activities in order to "find more ambition" at work. More often than not it has the exact opposite effect.

Thanks, Catza. I think you’re right. I’m now going to have monthly development chats with my manager, and I’ll have a look at finding a mentor or coach at work too, to help with finding direction and work out my next steps. I also have performance management chats with my manager every 3 months.

I appreciate everyone’s tips so far and would be grateful if anyone has any further advice on this. Thanks!