Your performance at work may be suffering for a number of different reasons. Either you’re stretched too thin, so you’re not able to do your best work in any particular area…or you’ve stopped trying because you’re not being challenged or receiving the support you need.
You’re not doing poorly at your job, but you’re also not doing your BEST. At this point you feel like you’re just trying to survive, when all you really want to do is thrive!
I like how Firstbeat explains that the contributing factors to a decline in performance at work are:
Professional competence
Motivation
Work circumstances
Management
Personal life and health
It’s the work circumstances and motivation that I want to take a moment to zoom in on.
Work circumstances
While there are a number of factors that fall into this category, one that I think tends to go unnoticed is the one that we subconsciously inflict on ourselves…adding unnecessary projects to our plate. Yes, we do this because we’re kind and we “like to help others” but when our responsibilities start to pile up, we’re left feeling like we’re at the point of no return - that we can’t back out of them. This is something that I see often, people stretching their bandwidth wide instead of spending time going deep in the areas that matter most (work that will make the most impact on the business and their professional development/advancement).
When it’s a promotion that you’re seeking, but have yet to receive, it can often feel like all of your hard work has been for nothing! You start thinking:
- I’m so tired and burned out
- Is all this work that I’m doing even going to be worth it?
- I’m working my ass off! I better get a promotion for all of this
- I’m valuable and I’m worth it
- I have more to give, I just don’t have the time to give it
Motivation
A lack of motivation can also come from being spread too thin. You’re so busy doing so many things that you don’t have time to aspire for greater achievements. Lacking motivation can also happen when you’re not being challenged. That’s when you become bored, falling into the habit of just doing the bare minimum which can be a very slippery slope. It can cause you to feel devalued, like a failure, and completely lost in your career. You begin saying things like:
- I’m not happy in my job, how did I even get here?!
- I have got to get out of here and figure something else out
- I hate it here
- I don’t know what to do, or what I want
- I’m bored and unfulfilled
Does any of this sound familiar? We’ve all been there at least once.
So what’s at the root of this? The answer might surprise you - it’s confidence. Confidence in your abilities, confidence in what you want, and confidence from the support and guidance received by others who have been there and done that.
I talk to so many women who lack confidence in their career path and their ability to use their voice to get what they want. This really hits home for me because that’s exactly where I was in the first 13+ years of my career. The transformation that occurs when you begin to gain more confidence at work is astounding, that’s why I’m so passionate about helping other women to achieve it!
Join my free 3 day Corporate Confidence Challenge to begin practicing ways to gain more visibility at work, brand yourself as a badass, and stop trying to figure it all out on your own.
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