Holiday periods like the recent summer break, provide opportunities to take a breath, sit back and reflect on how your life and career are tracking. Are you reasonably happy in your job? Are some tweaks needed in your work-life? What are you looking forward to? What do you want to change?

Clients often say to me is that while they are are feeling stale and bored at work, they don’t necessarily want to make wholesale changes to their career. They say  they would prefer to stay with the organisation they are at – they like the people they work with, they feel more-or-less aligned with the values and purpose of the organisation and other factors like the pay and conditions are OK.

However, something is missing, and this often comes down to feeling their strengths and skills are underutilised, which in turn directly impacts on their intrinsic motivation needed to come to work and perform well. We know from research that these factors are essential to productivity and a recent Harvard Business Review article about Deloitte’s new approach to  performance management highlights this.

Here are six tips to keep fresh in your job and stay with the organisation you like:

1.  Monitor you  level of engagement and interest in your work. If it’s lagging, then identify why. It could be that there is a misfit developing between your values and the job. Perhaps your skills are not developing or workplace relationships are souring. Once you’ve done some diagnostic work, be pro-active about making some changes.

2.    Have regular conversations with your manager about your career, so they know how you are tracking. You could discuss potential changes to your work and how you want to contribute in the future.

3. Always look to learn more. Leverage your skills to ensure you produce good work and always be alert to opportunities for skill development. This will improve your employability and value to an organisation.

4. Pay attention to changes occurring in the organisation so you know what big decisions are being made and how they may impact you and those around you. This enables you to have the conversations with key personnel you need to in order to position yourself well.

5. Get noticed for the right reasons by turning up at work as positive, engaged and as outcome- focussed as possible. Avoid petty office politics and focus on what you want to achieve and what you are paid to deliver.

6. Make positive workplace relationships your highest priority. The most common reason for things going sour at work is a breakdown in relationships. In contrast, good relationships and networks will help to ensure you are well-positioned to both know about and be in the running for work on new projects and promotion opportunities.

Are some tweaks needed in your work-life? What do you want to change? Take the opportunity to take stock of your career regularly.