The marketplace is crowded with people who never achieve their goals and seem to always have bad luck in making good career decisions. Instead of living up to their potential they are always contemplating why things keep happening in their career that holds them back instead of moving forward.
Everyone has an ego and even though it can be difficult to describe it at times you can think of it as an accumulation of different beliefs you have acquired so far in life. Some of those beliefs will be positive and some will be negative with each one influencing your self-esteem.
Most people are attracted to others who display an air of confidence and in their ability to get things done, but when your ego is in control of your career it can create barriers to growth and without taking the time to develop self-awareness you can end up gradually sabotaging your own success.
Since it is easier to see others shortcomings and not your own, here are some areas to consider if you are struggling to reach your career goals:
• Always having to be right. When talking with coworkers or your boss, do you find yourself always defending your point of view? In other words you have a need to be “right” and someone else has to be wrong. When you are always striving to be right on every discussion, it could be a sign that you need to step back and listen more. Even if you are right, acknowledging another person’s point of view helps you build relationships.
• Dwelling on others success. Focusing on other’s good fortune instead of your own tends to set up room for jealousy that can lead to self-posturing. You can miss out on good opportunities to learn and network with others by dwelling on their accomplishments.
• Need to win at all cost. It’s great to have a winning attitude, but when you have to win in order to feel good about yourself it could be a sign that your esteem is built on external approval.
• Blame others. The blame game can be an easy route to take when things don’t go as planned. Rather than owning the results, coming up with excuses and blaming others lessens your responsibility. While it might feel like a quick fix to problem solving, it only leads to isolation and hinders your future career steps.
• It’s about me and not you. Focusing on your needs all the time is not the formula for making others successful. Concentrating on what’s in it for you rather than lending a helping hand to your coworkers is a sure sign that your ego is control.
• Setting unrealistic expectations. Creating short- and long-term goals is a good habit to keep; however, when the goals you set are too lofty, you can easily become discouraged. It’s good to stretch your skills and grow yet keep your goals realistic.
If some of these areas sound familiar it could be that you need to take the time to develop awareness and change. It starts with an open mind and a willingness to listen and solicit feedback. Finding a good mentor who would be willing to share their views and offer advice is a good first step to overcome the barriers that an unchecked ego creates.
Another way to create change and improve awareness is through visualizing a new response when facing career obstacles in the future. Instead of allowing your ego to be in charge of your career, consider imaging a more positive way to make decisions to enjoy your work.
