By Bill Kaufmann, President of My Greener Future
There are 3 primary signs that tell you when to start looking for another job:
- Your job results seem good but for some reason your appraisals and pay aren’t
- You are subtly excluded from meetings, emails, or planning sessions
- You find it difficult to go to work in the morning. You sense something isn’t right.
Here are some telltale signs to look for:
Values are mismatched – Values are usually hidden when interviewing for a job. You only experience the organization’s operating values when you’re inside:
- Your values of right or wrong are different from management, in policy or practice. You find yourself at odds with decisions that you see as questionable.
- The management style is inconsistent: Bureaucracy versus engaging. You are more participative and feel constrained by dictates or autocratic decisions.
- Your decisions or methods are questioned without information or alternatives. The plans or decisions you make are reversed without a chance to review your rationale.
Assignments are diminished – The difference between what is written in your position description and what you’re actually asked to do may be vastly different:
- You’re given tasks that are well below your abilities or rank. Whenever assignments are handed out, you seem to get the less meaningful ones.
- You are not invited to the strategy phase of a project, but are an afterthought. Management will always go to the people they see as up to the task. Is that you?
- You always seem to get the “clean up” tasks where you can’t show competence. You are never chosen to lead a project.
A sense of “doom” – Many times you can’t put your finger on the issue causing you to question your “fit” in the organization:
- Sometimes you don’t agree with decisions or methods of the boss. Your performance appraisals are non-existent. You never have meaningful discussions with your boss.
- Your peers don’t see you as part of the inner circle. There is a small group of people the boss always goes to, at the exclusion of others. Which group are you?
- Your projects are geared to your weaknesses, not your strengths. You’re not given the opportunity to demonstrate your qualities in a favorable light.
So, what do you do about it? There are basically three alternatives:
- Have a discussion with your boss about your concerns and desire to perform
- Stay the course and hopefully work your way through it over time
- Quietly begin to put your job search strategy together
Contact me and we’ll set up a time to talk about your issues, at no cost.
Get more insights at: mygreenerfuture.com Send questions to: Mygreenerfuture1@cox.net