Feeling Professionally “Unglued”? Here’s How to Move Forward
The last few years have brought major shifts to how we work, lead, and define purpose. From the pandemic to shifts in our market to organizational shake-ups and layoffs, many executives are navigating exhaustion, disconnection, and uncertainty. At Building For Mission, we’re seeing a growing trend across sectors: talented people who feel misaligned or stuck in roles they once loved.
You might be showing up every day—but feeling unglued on the inside.
Maybe you’re disconnected from your team, frustrated with your workload, or unsure how your job connects to the bigger picture. Maybe you’re doing more with less, or noticing that the values you once shared with your organization feel harder to see.
If your work no longer energizes you, your efforts go unseen, or you feel a growing sense of stagnation, you might be what I call professionally “unglued.”
Being unglued can show up in different ways:
Feeling undervalued or invisible
Experiencing tension between your work and your values
Dealing with change fatigue, toxic dynamics, or disconnection from your team
Questioning if your skills are still being used—or if you’ve outgrown the role
If any of this resonates, it’s time to do what many of us hesitate to do: move forward.
That sounds obvious—but it isn’t easy. We wait it out, hoping something will shift. Or we convince ourselves it’s safer to stay put than to start again. But when your role becomes a source of depletion rather than alignment, staying can take a real toll—on your confidence, your relationships, and your ability to lead.
Here are three ways to move forward when you feel professionally unglued:
- Reframe your perspective
Sometimes what we need isn’t a new job—it’s a new lens. Your work might feel thankless or repetitive, but is it part of something bigger you’ve lost sight of?
Try reconnecting with purpose: ask coworkers what impact they see, revisit your organization’s mission, or reflect on how your work connects to your personal values. One shift in how you view your role can renew energy and meaning.
Are you moving bricks—or building a community?
- Ask for what you need
If your role feels unsustainable, you may not need to leave—you may need support. A good question to ask: What would make this doable? Instead of leading with why something can’t happen, try naming what it would take to make it work.
This mindset shift moves the burden from your limits to the organization’s responsibility to support your success. Whether it’s workload, clarity, or collaboration—you don’t have to figure it out alone. Thought partners (inside or outside of work) can offer ideas and encouragement to help you take the next step.
- When it’s time, make a change
If you’ve tried reframing and resourcing—and it’s still not working—it may be time to move on. Change is hard, but it’s also a form of self-alignment. Ask yourself:
What kind of work gives me energy and meaning?
What do I need in my next role (income, team culture, flexibility, growth)?
Who can help me make a thoughtful transition?
And when you move forward physically, remember to move forward mentally, too. Don’t carry old narratives of failure or unworthiness into a new chapter. Replace negative self-talk with self-compassion. Own the lessons. Drop the shame.
You are not stuck. You have skills, experience, and value to offer. And you deserve a role that fits not just your resume—but your whole self.
If you’re feeling unglued, that’s not failure. It’s a sign that something needs to change. So take a breath, get support, and give yourself permission to move forward.
Adapted the word “unglued” from book: Terkeurst, L. (2012). “Unglued: making wise choices in the midst of raw emotions”. Michigan: Zondervan