As an Executive Coach, I often come across clients who feel stuck in their careers. They know something is amiss. They are confused, frustrated, and angry. I have shared below the signs that tell when your career is in a rut. If you are experiencing any of these, it is time for you to act –
You no longer feel challenged –
Most career ruts are caused by a lack of challenge. Often, this happens when you are no longer learning on the job. For some time, it may feel easy and comfortable, and you coast through each day. But soon you start to feel that you have outgrown your role and your job has become stagnant. The routine starts jarring you. There is no excitement in the work you do. There is nothing to look forward to in your workday. You may become apathetic and lack the drive you once had.
You do not feel appreciated –
You feel your managers or colleagues undervalue your work. Your performance reviews have become average, you are no longer patted on the back for your efforts and output, your ideas are consistently ignored or shelved, you are not chosen to work on prime projects, you are no longer a part of the key decisions or meetings. You even find it hard to get a slot in your manager’s calendar. You know, that you will not be on the top of your boss’s mind when it is time to fill a senior role.
You are not proud of what you do
You do not think what you do matters. When someone asks you what you do, you talk about your organization and your title rather than what you do.
Your performance has plateaued
You are not passionate about your work, and you have stopped trying to excel. You are doing just enough to meet expectations. There are times you do not show up or even miss deadlines. You create the silliest excuses and tell yourself that it was only a minor miss. However, you are in a vicious cycle where your apathy is impacting your performance and your confidence.
You do not feel aligned with your colleagues
You do not have supportive and meaningful relationships at work. You may smile at your coworkers, but you never want to see them outside of work or share anything with them. You prefer figuring things yourself rather than asking for help. You do not feel aligned with the way the organizational values manifest on an everyday basis.
Your life outside of work is impacted
There is no balance in your life. The negativity you feel about your job spills into your life outside of work. In every conversation, you either complain about your work or rant about your colleagues. People close to you notice that your job is impacting you adversely. Your friends start asking you if everything is okay.
Your health suffers
You are stressed often. You feel tired and depleted all the time. You experience frequently occurring physical ailments, e.g., headaches, high blood pressure, and insomnia. You constantly feel anxious and overwhelmed by the demands of your job.
You dread going to work
You dread work every day. You keep snoozing the alarm because the thought of work creates knots in your stomach. You thank God for Fridays and pray that Sundays won’t end. You grow anxious at the end of every weekend.
You are in your comfort zone
Even though you are unhappy, you do not do anything, to change your situation. It is serving you in some way – maybe it is the location, the perks, the inertia to learn something new…..! You choose to stay dissatisfied and not compromise on your comfort level.
You do not know what you want
You do not know the direction to pivot in. If not this, what? You are not aware of what excites you and how to figure out what do you want to do.
If you are experiencing any of the above, the time to act to take control of your career is now.
I am putting together a Masterclass just for you, to give you insights regarding the opportunities you have, if you are facing a career rut. Because it does not have to be like this. You can take action, remedy the situation, and enjoy great performance reviews, plum roles, and a fulfilling career.
Sign up for the Masterclass now. Even if you cannot attend it, I will share the recording of the session with you. – https://ramandeeps1.sg-host.com/mid-career-masterclass/
Date and time – Jan 29, 7:00 pm IST/ 8:30 am ET
Don’t stay stuck. Help yourselves, break out of the rut!