This is personal! Why? Because I have been in roles where I have stopped growing..I’ve just stayed in the role for a year too long or I’ve waited for that next big opportunity to come along to challenge and excite me. Usually I’ve been underwhelmed when it hasn’t and have regretted not taking action sooner.
I’ve also seen people in jobs today who are quite content to be in roles where they are disengaged, bored and frustrated by their role, their surroundings and the people they work with.
Irrespective of industry, organisation or sector I find the answer the same; when you are not growing personally and professionally, you become stagnated, disengaged and often frustrated with your job.
One of the many things that excites me in my job is when I put a slide up in our programs that says “Grow or Go!” It challenges participants to really explore how they feel about their current circumstances and empowers them with the notion that they really do have a choice. They can:
1) Stay and be passionate and make a great difference to their workplace
2) Stay, stagnate and become disengaged, bitter and twisted, or;
3) Get out. Leave and find something that aligns with their values, dreams and passion.
Sometimes we settle for just ok. We set high expectations for others but fail to set high expectations for ourselves – if you’ve read Jim Collins’ book Good To Great, you know that “good is the enemy of great”.
We all know of instances where others have ‘checked out’ and avoid having the tough conversations or confronting difficult issues, but how do you confront the issue when you’re the person in the mirror?
When managers themselves do nothing to grow, they “lead” by example – managers lead by example whether good or bad. If you are a manager and you have done absolutely nothing to perfect or enhance your skills within the last six months, you’re not growing. If you are not growing you have nothing new to bring to the table. Your lack of growth stagnates your team, kills creativity, and send a clear message to your staff that mediocrity is acceptable.
One of my key Employee Engagement philosophies is that individuals need to own their engagement. We come to work with unique motivators, interests and talents. We cannot expect our workplace or organisation to provide an exact set of tasks or conditions to fit our personal definition of meaningful or satisfying work. We are ultimately responsible for our own personal and professional success.
When you feel you are in a rut in your present job, there are two ways to re-energise. One is to take a strategic view of what is needed and find opportunities for intellectual or career growth. Taking your business or work to the next level is one way to recharge your batteries and keep your interest in your job alive.
If, after you take that long view, you see no other possibilities to excite you in your chosen line of work then the other recourse is to find something else to challenge you. Be bold, this is the time to assess your skills and begin to look for something else that aligns with your passion. Don’t forget, if you wait too long, you will become bored and boring.
Tell us your growth strategies. Have you stayed too long in a job and regretted it? Do you have people working for you who have “checked out”? How do you put this issue on the table and deal with the situation? Comment on our LinkedIn Discussion Page
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