Reignite passion in your career: 4 questions communications leaders should ask themselves

Don’t ignore that quiet voice.

Mary Olson-Menzel is the founder and CEO of MVP Executive Development and co-founder of Spark Insight Coaching. Michelle Powers is a fractional chief of staff.

You are the voice of your company, your leaders, and your employees. You are leading the charge and articulating so many situations with grace and poise. Yet, every once in a while, your own voice creeps into your consciousness when you least expect it. There it is again, pulling at your attention and whispering in your ear. That nagging sense of restlessness about where you are, what you are doing, and especially about what the future holds.

You’ve done all the “right” things — you built a great career, climbed the corporate ladder, AND you’re not sure you want to keep doing this. Whether “this” is your current function, your role in the same company, or your career track entirely, that restless little voice has been warning you that something is potentially off.

Does this sound familiar? I hope not, but it can happen to the best of us at certain points in our careers!

That voice is not something to ignore. This voice is a signal, like a lighthouse in a storm; your passion is trying to get your attention. It is the kind of passion that energizes you in the middle of a crisis call, sustains you through countless changes, and reminds you why you chose this work in the first place.

If you’re wondering how to connect with and listen to your restless internal voice in a more meaningful way, start by asking better questions. Questions that you are so adept at asking others. Questions that help you realign with what drives you at your core and tap into your light.

Here are four questions we challenge even the most seasoned communications leaders to ask themselves:

1. When do I feel most alive and “lit up” — so immersed in what I’m doing that time disappears?

In an industry that thrives on deadlines, deliverables and external validation, it’s easy to lose touch with what genuinely lights you up.

Was it the time you guided a CEO through a media crisis and felt fully in your element? When you led a successful company rebrand? When you mentored a rising comms star and saw their confidence grow?

In those moments of feeling alive, what skills were you using? What values were you honoring? What impact were you making?

2. What am I doing when people say, “you’re an expert at that,” or “you’re a genius at this”?

We may overlook our core genius because it feels natural and effortless. You may assume everyone thinks strategically and systematically under pressure or crafts the perfect narrative in real time. But they don’t! That’s *your* superpower. Pay attention to it!

What are the talents you bring to the table that your team, peers or clients constantly thank you for? Crisis clarity? Storytelling vision? Executive presence?

Ask your trusted circle of colleagues, mentors and collaborators: “When have you seen me at my best?” Keep track of their answers. You’ll likely begin to hear larger themes that reflect what you do well, as well as what you’re meant to do more of.

3. If I could get paid to solve one big problem in the world, what would it be?

The intersection of purpose and passion can be a significant signal in reigniting your passion.

Maybe you’re driven to help organizations tell the truth more boldly. Maybe it’s about combatting misinformation, elevating marginalized voices, humanizing leadership or building organizational cultures of trust.

You don’t need to solve every problem. By anchoring your work in a problem you care deeply about, it makes long hours and internal politics more than just part of the job — it makes them part of the mission.

Look for that intersection that is called ikigai — the intersection of what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs and what you can get paid to do. Are you in your ikigai?

4. What fear is keeping me from fully pursuing this — and am I ready to release it?

Most of us don’t drift from our passion because we’re unclear of the path ahead. We drift because the next step feels risky, uncertain or even impractical. Over time, we also run the risk of losing connection altogether to the connection between doing what we love and what we get paid for.

Physiologically, your fear is designed to mitigate risk and protect you. However, when fear takes over, it may prevent you from taking the risks necessary to tap into your passion. As experts in communications, you are used to managing uncertainty for others. The real challenge is to manage it for yourselves as well!

Ask yourself: What is the root of this fear? Fear of being irrelevant, stepping outside the pathway you’ve followed for 20+ years or starting something you might not finish?

Then ask yourself: What is my fear costing me? Freedom? Joy at work? Or the opportunity to tap more fully into my passion?

If you’re not willing to let that fear keep running the show, you’re already on your way to figuring out your next right steps.

Final thoughts

Reconnecting with your passion as a communications leader doesn’t require a dramatic career pivot or a pithy resignation letter. It means making smarter, more intentional choices that better align your day-to-day work with your deeper sense of purpose, passion and joy!

• Start with curiosity.
• Track the moments of aliveness.
• What moments in your day are you finding the most joy?
• Listen to what others reflect about your strengths and superpowers.
• Focus on the problem you most want to solve and being of service to others.
• And above all, don’t let fear shape your narrative and make sure you are following what lights you up.

May the intersection of your passion and purpose reignite your spark to light you (and everyone around you) up!

The post Reignite passion in your career: 4 questions communications leaders should ask themselves appeared first on Ragan Communications.