3 Warning Signs You’re In the Wrong Role
It’s a tragedy in the workplace when highly competent and intelligent individuals like yourself find themselves in the wrong role. Your potential and time are wasted, and your level of frustration and discontent rises with each day that passes. Instead of getting stuck in the wrong role, understand the signs, so you can take action to shift your trajectory quickly.
You find yourself in an energy vacuum.
When you wake up in the morning on a day you have to work, do you tend to want to hit the snooze button? Do you find yourself watching the clock as the day goes by? Do you find yourself procrastinating on tasks or perhaps avoiding unnecessary interactions with others? How about when you go home - What energy do you have left to give to your family, to your friends, and to yourself?
When you’re in the right role, your energy level is replenished as you use your strengths and experience the rewards of the job. If you’re not using your strengths and being rewarded on the job, then you’re consuming more energy. It’s true that every job has an element of those items you wish you could cross out of your job description, but the point is this: If overall you’re expending more energy than the return you get back, it’s a red flag that you may be in the wrong role.
Try tracking your energy levels throughout the week in a journal. What gives you a boost, and what seems to suck the life out of you? What makes you fulfilled, and what areas are undesirable? Give yourself a score at the end of each day regarding how energized you feel. What trends do you see, and what do they mean for your career moving forward?
You’re consistently out of alignment with the expectations of others.
Do you give 100% of your effort daily, yet struggle to meet your performance goals? Perhaps you are in a new role trying your best to learn the ins and outs, yet you cannot seem to grasp what is required. Maybe at one point, you found it easy to navigate your role, but with recent changes, you have found it hard to shift. When you share your ideas, do you seem to be on a different page than your boss, coworkers, or your team, and those ideas are often tossed aside as opposed to being acted upon? Are you starting to see your confidence diminishing while your insecurities are rising?
Your role may not align with your skills and values. These differences do not necessarily mean your personal worth decreases in any way; however, a clear gap has formed which needs to be addressed.
How can you find out if you can close the gap to be productive again? Have a direct conversation with your boss, team members, and coworkers with which you do not align. Listen intently for how they make their decisions, and what hesitations they have with your ideas or performance. Then investigate what type of bridge is required to close the gap based upon what you heard. Can you reasonably close that gap, or is it possible you may need to find a new role or organization that better aligns with your own skills and values?
You’re not challenged to grow.
Are you bored or underutilized in your workplace? Do your boss and team support your growth? Do you see opportunities to advance your knowledge, skills, responsibilities, wages, and influence? Do you find yourself hitting a wall with getting that promotion or being recognized as the expert in your field? Perhaps you’ve wondered to yourself, “What’s next?”
Being able to accomplish something that you had not experienced or achieved before is addicting, much like winning a competition. There’s excitement and celebration. Challenges change you and enable you to accomplish progressively more in the future. If you’re not being challenged and encouraged to grow, you’re staying in the same place while the world around you advances. You’re missing out.
Write down in your journal how you are being challenged to grow today - within your current role and toward a future role. Growth opportunities may look like technical or interpersonal skills, new or increased responsibilities (e.g; management), on-the-job experiences, chances to attend workshops, and more. Reflect on what you wrote - Are those challenges going to get you where you want to go? Speak to your boss about your thoughts. Keep in mind that even if your boss, team, and coworkers do not support how you desire to grow, you can still engage in growth opportunities on your own. If your business does not seem mutually interested in your growth, consider what other companies may be a better fit for you.
You don’t have to be stuck in a role that’s a poor fit. If any of these signs resonate with you, there are tons of resources to help you sort through the noise and thrive in your career. Click on the resources below to discover steps you can take today, or e-mail me at info@flowmomentum.com.
