No success in your job? Stop getting in your own way
There is no career advancement although you deliver good work results. What can that be? In addition to classic mistakes in career planning, it is also worth taking a look at your personal behavior and your attitude towards the job. Often there is the key to success.
Why are only others promoted?
If you want to make a career, you have to heed some basic rules. Most people know: The promotion will rarely come by itself. You have to clearly define your goal and work towards it strategically. But even those who objectively do everything right and do not make a typical planning error sometimes wait a long time for their career advancement.
Why is that? The unpleasant truth: Your personal behavior and your attitude at work can also get in the way of professional success. Perhaps you can already sense your weaknesses, but perhaps you perceive yourself completely differently than others see you.
In any case: If the career fails, it pays to critically question your own behavior and then do it better. Nobody is perfect – and it is often enough to turn a few small screws.
Career obstacle 1: You want everyone to like you
Do you recognize yourself at one point or another?
- You have every last-minute task that a colleague can no longer manage, even though you have your desk full of work and the end of the day is now a long way off.
- In your team, you are the “carer” and believe that you always have to ensure a good mood.
- If you fail to complete a task in time, first apologize and only then explain the reason.
- You are very uncomfortable with conflicts with colleagues. You want to clear them up as soon as possible, even if that demands more concessions from you than the others.
- The boss praises your achievements and you would actually like to recommend yourself for higher tasks, but you have concerns that you might then no longer be so popular.
How to avoid the popularity trap: Your friendly and open-minded manner is always a big plus. When taking on tasks, you should think a little more strategically. It goes without saying that you bail out your colleagues in emergencies, but you are not the “girl for everything”. Those who can set limits are more likely to earn the respect of their colleagues.
Do not give in to every little argument, but show your backbone and try to resolve the conflict objectively and constructively. And: Do not play the broken clown in meetings to cheer everyone up when the mood looks depressed: That could mean that you will not be taken seriously anywhere else.
Career obstacle 2: You put your light under a bushel
The boss praises you, and that in front of the entire team – how uncomfortable! Your first impulse: You start to relativize. “Oh, that was nothing. If my colleague hadn’t helped me, I would never have done it… ”In short: You can’t confidently accept legitimate praise. But you have to if you want to claim the successes for which you have worked hard for yourself.
This is how you really reap the fruits of your labor: Less is more. Thank you briefly and in a friendly manner for the praise – nothing more. Compromise, if there is really a team effort behind the success: “I would like to say thank you very much, also on behalf of everyone who was involved in the project.” So the colleagues do not feel left out, but everyone notices: They had their hats on.
Career obstacle 3: You are not able to work in a team
Oh no, an invitation to the team event? You’re actually planning something that evening. Well, at least you could think of better things than talking to colleagues after work. The following motto also applies to you: Your work could be so nice if only your colleagues weren’t there. You prefer to work alone.
It is of course difficult to draw attention to yourself and your achievements. If you want to advance in your job, you have to network. This idea is a horror for introverts – and yet they look enviously at colleagues who are making progress with “vitamin B”.
This is how even loners can score: Approach the matter strategically and think about what really bothers you about the event before rejecting it. Make concessions if you can’t find a reasonable counter-argument. But if the team event is to take place in the trampoline hall, for example, and that’s really not your thing, communicate it openly – everyone will understand. Anyone who seems to have been forced to participate in a casual event can really prefer to stay at home right away.
Dare to step out of your comfort zone in everyday life and seek a dialogue with colleagues. Who knows – this may even result in new impulses and perspectives.
Career obstacle 4: You always postpone unpleasant tasks until later
Next week’s important presentation could be a critical milestone in your career. Instead of preparing them, however, you will find tons of “urgent” tasks that you still need to do beforehand. If the time is tight, cobble together the presentation in a night-and-fog action, according to the motto: Close your eyes and go through. Of course, you only manage the bare minimum and give away a lot of potentials to go deeper thematically. The career opportunity is wasted.
Procrastination is a term used in working life for the phenomenon of postponing unpleasant tasks to the last minute. In the rarest cases, however, the reason is simple laziness. Many procrastinators are almost perfectionists and postpone important tasks for fear of not being up to them.
This is better than the ostrich method: Don’t let yourself be distracted by other supposedly important activities, but stay on the ball. You can avoid the task one way or another – so do your best. Make a note of the issues where the content is stuck and where you have concerns. Discuss this with your supervisor afterward – not on the last day before the presentation, of course, but much earlier.
Career obstacle 5: You always see everything negative
New software is being introduced or the office seating arrangement changed? Basically, you are against this for the time being, because everything has worked out fine so far. If a new project is pending, you will immediately come up with various reasons why none of this can work at all.
In almost every company there is someone who plays the role of the lovable office curmudgeon. That may be comfortable, but in terms of career, it is a dead end. Anyone who always thinks negatively proves that they are not a doer, but that they are always immediately resigned. So why should he be promoted?
How to get out of the bad-ass role: Hold back on negative comments until you have really valid arguments. Use criticism sparingly, but in the right place. Try a change of perspective: What are the reasons for the changes? Those who demonstrate adaptability and creatively master crises are recommended for management tasks.
Career obstacle 6: You are arrogant and you lack empathy
Finally, become the boss – and ideally, act like that? When the boss is on vacation, you always get a little louder and more decisive in meetings. After all, you want everyone to see that you have ambitions. For each contribution, you have one more comment that shows that you are much more competent than the original speaker. They don’t mind that their colleagues roll their eyes – after all, you want to be promoted and not make friends with half the workforce in private.
This is how you really demonstrate leadership skills: Proactively take on responsible tasks and make yourself available to the team as a contact person. Communicate at eye level and never from above. Keep looking for the exchange. Anyone who wants to take on leadership roles must also show empathy and recognize what moves others.