Looking ahead gives you encouragement for a fresh start and helps you focus on those things that are important to you. As the year draws to an end it brings a special kind of closure that gives you a rich perspective on things you could change.
In reflecting back on your career you might be wondering why things happened such as – why you were passed over for a promotion while someone who knows less than you moved up? Why did you lose your job to budget cuts while the new hire kept theirs? Why did one of your key employees leave in the middle of an important project?
Most people, if they had their way, desire a great job that matches their skills sets with a boss that appreciates their efforts and plenty of time for family and hobbies. Desires versus the reality of the marketplace are indicated by a recent survey of employees that reported a little over 32 percent engaged in their job. That leaves the majority of employees – perhaps – in a quandary, working with less enthusiasm and joy they might have otherwise.
Without getting too philosophical, most things in your career that need changing boil down to a one word answer – choices. Outside of the economy and things you can’t control, most of what happens in your career is generally due to the choices you make, such as habits and beliefs that tend to be repeated day after day.
In looking back over the year, what keeps you from living your life to the fullest? Reaching your career goals? Increasing your salary? If you sat down and started listing those things that perhaps stand in your way most likely you will discover a connection between your success and your choices.
Here are five types of self-defeating behavior to loose in 2016:
• Stop blaming others for your problems. Even though it might feel better to blame someone else for your career setbacks it only keeps you from taking personal control. When you are playing the blame game, you give others more control and make them responsible for your problems. If your boss is difficult to communicate with, change the way you react to them or take ownership for working things out.
• Self-defeating beliefs. Many times, job candidates have a conclusion in mind before they start, take networking, for example, even though you might be uncomfortable meeting new people that doesn’t mean you will not have a good time or meet that one person who could help change your career with a job lead.
• Setting unrealistic expectations. Making goals for the New Year is great and gives you a plan to pursue, however when you set your goals too high, you end up disappointed when you can’t reach them. Instead of seeking a promotion two levels above your experience, why not aim for one step at a time to learn and grow before aiming too high?
• Refusing to empathize. Your ability to relate and understand another person’s point of view will often determine how fast your career will grow. When you refuse to show empathy to your boss, co-workers or potential employers, you end up sabotaging your success.
• Misunderstanding delegation. Ineffective delegation of tasks can be self-defeating because it keeps you from being perceived as a leader ready for the next career step. Delegation is a balancing act; under-delegating can keep you running after everyone doing their work while taking you off of your goals. Over-delegating can create a loss of connection with others and send a leaderless perception.
The inevitable result in self-defeating behavior is career sabotage that makes people unhappy. Making good choices starts with removing the barriers that often keep you stuck and guessing why things happen. Whether you are thinking about changing careers or in the midst of a job search it’s a good time to lose those behaviors that prevent you from moving forward.
What type of self-defeating behavior do you need to change for 2016?
