Maybe the problem is not you … just your environment

Today we present an article by a new HR-Worldview Guest Author.

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This year at My Next Path, we have worked with a certain number of clients who started a coaching process because they felt uneasy with their current job. Some of them even got the unpleasant sensation they might have some sort of issue. When we started working together, they in fact quite quickly came to realize that they did not have any problem themselves: the source of their trouble was their environment! Therefore, instead of feeling bad, stuck, paralyzed or sometimes worst, what they had to do was actively take action and work their way out to another environment that would better fit them. Let us explain more below.

Mary*has been working for 8 years in the same company. She was a middle manager in the sales and marketing area. She had always been travelling a lot for her job and liked it. She liked her industry and was very knowledgeable about key factors of success, players, etc. But more recently, she had 3 different bosses in 2 years, an increasing pressure and despite good results in her region, little recognition. Her self confidence was eroded and she found herself drowned in micro-management tasks imposed by an insecure manager. When we started working together, Mary was really unsure about her own abilities.

After a few sessions of analyzing what she thought were her issues, she came to realize, she had lost her self confidence because of the environment (poor management, wrong cultural fit etc), not because she had problems herself! In fact, she was perceptive enough to take action, seek help, and finally take that healthy distance to realize that. A few months later, Mary landed a new job in a company more in line with her style and expectations. Although everyone around her told her to stick to her current job because of the tough economy, she overcame her initial fear, dedicated the appropriate time to look for the right opportunity and found one.

We have seen more than one case similar to Mary’s this year: Before feeling bad about yourself and jumping to conclusions, make sure you are able to analyze your situation with perspective. Actively take action to find a work environment that better fits you maybe the best decision you will ever make! This obviously could mean changing company but not necessarily. This could also mean changing job/department within a corporation: very often in big companies, people have been offered jobs that do not properly fit their profile; by changing to another job, area or department within the company, they suddenly feel better and everybody wins.

About our Guest Authors:

Myriam Le Cannellier and Catherine Bortolotti are Career Coaches who work with professionals who are experiencing a transition in their career, because of relocation, an unexpected situation in their current job or the will to make a significant change in their professional life. Learn more about them at www.mynextpath.com