Are Your Sabotaging Your Own Career Success?
Navigating performance and salary review time can be a tricky business. It can also be an opportunity to do a little soul searching. A time for some introspection and to have a good long hard look at your own performance.
Some questions to consider:
Did you do as well as you expected?
Do you have work to do?
Where are you in your career? Where you want to be?
Are you doing something new and challenging? Or are you stuck in a rut and biding your time until something better comes along?
You may be unintentionally sabotaging your own career. It can happen easily and often sub-consciously. These are the usual suspects.
1. Self-Doubt
Often you could work for a firm that surrounds you with opportunities. These might involve interesting projects, new clients, or new areas of the law. Do you jump at them? Or do you feel like you are still getting your current role right? You might be surprised at how many people stay in a role long after they have outgrown it. This might be because they are waiting until they have done it perfectly. Or that they think that other people might be more qualified or better suited to an opportunity.
This attitude can leave you stuck in your comfort zone, which is after all comfortable…. But probably not challenging, or exciting, or even really very interesting.
There is no point in underestimating your own abilities. After all, if you don’t take on challenges and put your hand up for opportunities, they are unlikely to come looking for you. Make an effort to believe in yourself, your qualifications and your abilities. We dare you to put up your hand for the next opportunity.
2. Accepting and improving on constructive criticism
It can be hard to hear things that you don’t like or agree with in a performance or salary review. Before you go on the defensive, take some time to consider what your people leader is saying.
- Is there any truth in it at all?
- Is there an area you could focus on that would help you take the next step in your career?
- Is there a development need that you need to accept and take ownership of?
Try and remove your ego from the conversation. It is not a personal attack. Take a deep breath and handle the criticism with grace under fire. Make sure you remain professional. Remember this situation is just as hard for the person providing the feedback. Make an effort to take the time to listen and understand.
If you are unclear about the criticism, ask for an example. Consider asking them for ideas how to improve on the behaviour or problem.
3. Your Attitude
There is no doubt that negative and bitter personalities will find it harder to gain a promotion. So will people that have difficulty getting along with others in the workplace.
When something goes wrong, do you blame others? Or do you take responsibility for your part in an issue and move on.
Does your personal life interfere with your work performance? We all have lives to manage. Spending much of your working day dealing with personal issues and arrangements is not good for your productivity (or career!)
Focus on having an optimistic outlook and on getting along with your team. Ensure your personal life doesn't encroach on your work performance.
4. Have A Plan
Often you can land in a role or with a firm and find yourself going with the flow. Not really knowing where you are heading or aspiring to anything in particular. As Winston Churchill said, 'he who fails to plan is planning to fail'. How will you know you have succeeded if you don’t know where you are aiming for? Creating a career plan will help you take charge of your own destiny.
Your salary review is a good time to be talking to your people leader about your career goals. This means you will be on the same page. It also allows your people leader to be making decisions around key person dependencies and succession planning. You might even find they are helpful in getting you a little closer to your career goal.
Do any of these sound familiar to you? Are you sabotaging your own success? Implement one of our suggestions today and face the next performance year with an improved outlook and chance of success!
