All careers have their ups and downs. Knowing how to navigate the various professional challenges that life presents you can be a determining factor in your career trajectory. On the HigherEdJobs Podcast, we recently spoke with Beryl Greenberg, a seasoned executive and career coach, who shed some light on how to approach a few of these instances.
Hitting a Career Plateau
Are you dreading Monday morning? Bored with the work you’re doing? Uninterested in taking over your boss’s job someday? These are all signs that you’ve hit a plateau and aren’t as motivated and productive as you used to be. Once you’ve identified these symptoms, you might wonder if you should stay at that plateau or if you want something more.
“Don’t assume that you have to settle and don’t assume that you want more,” Greenberg cautions. Instead, she recommends going on a bit of an “exploratory mission” and evaluating where some of these symptoms are coming from.
“What’s going on in the culture of your organization, that either you enjoy or you don’t enjoy?” she asks. “What’s going on with the work that you personally are doing and the impact that you’re having that is working or not working for you? How is this impacting your priorities in your home life? Are they complementary? Is it infringing? All of these are different areas to help answer those two questions that you asked: is this where I want to be, or is there something more that I want to go for?”
Feeling Overwhelmed at Work
In contrast to a career plateau, there will be times in your career that are chaotic. Perhaps you’ve got too much on your plate and aren’t sure how to manage it. If you’re in that situation, what can you do?
We’re often tempted to just muddle through it to make the stress go away. Greenberg and other experts recommend taking a pause.
“Give yourself the opportunity to shift away for a moment from that stress and overwhelm and chaos so that you can think clearly,” Greenberg says.
It may seem counterintuitive when you’ve got so much to do, but it doesn’t have to be a long pause. Whether it’s a quick cuddle session with your dog or taking a walk around the block, the ultimate goal is to give yourself an opportunity to shift your mindset.
“When you’re in the midst of overwhelm and chaos and stress, you’ve actually activated one part of your brain where that lives,” Greenberg explains. “Your wise, confident, all-knowing self where your intuition and your creativity live — that’s in another part of your brain. And so, the pause helps you switch from one part of your brain to another.”
When Self-Doubt Creeps In
Self-doubt and imposter syndrome are no strangers to those of us working in higher education. It’s often triggered by comparing ourselves to others, but few things spark self-doubt as readily as a job search. That’s the nature of it, right?
“The whole premise behind looking for a new job is fraught with rejection,” Greenberg says. “And what’s the greatest way to rip your confidence right out of you is to be rejected over and over and over again.”
It’s easy to get lost in the negativity. It can be all-consuming and leave you with a feeling of doom. We tend to exaggerate. However, that’s where Greenberg’s advice to “take a pause” comes in.
“Notice that you’re in chaos, or notice that you’re not feeling so confident,” she recommends.
Take a few minutes to sift through everything and see what’s true and what you’ve blown out of proportion. That pause allows you to reassess and reevaluate the truth and ultimately activate your confidence.
Another way Greenberg recommends counteracting moments of self-doubt is to practice gratitude. Take stock of what you do have — of what brings you joy — and try to work a few minutes of these activities into your day. It can help you reset and give you a much-needed reality check to help you deal with the ups and downs of a job search.
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For more insights on “Facing Career Plateaus, Highs, and Woes,” check out Episode 6 of the HigherEdJobs Podcast below with guest Beryl Greenberg.
Drop a comment below ? to share your own strategies for coping with career challenges. We’d love to hear from you!
