Summer storms damage to careers
How to get your Ego healthy after hurricane season
A dead tree trunk pushed to the side of the road, a sagging wire between two poles held down by an old maple tree limb split by lightning, a fence opened by a tree severed by wind. These are scenes around town after summer storms appeared quickly forever changing course. These mid-atlantic storms keep meteorologists, drivers and sports fans on their toes.
Professional egos can take similar hits at the office. Teams split, harsh feedback delivered, titles held back and passive aggressive usurping feels like lightening ruining any confidence at work.
Stormy seasons for your ego.
Have you ever gotten a request denied for the project you were excited to work on which promised high impact?
Did you get removed from a project to work on something beneath your experience?
Have you been scolded verbally in a meeting like the winds of hurricane Debbie?
Has your ego taken hits from peers, bosses or clients on repeat for a month straight, like a severe summer storm, with no weather channel alerts?
Feedback that hits us in our core can linger in our minds and hearts for a long time, scarring our internal ego. Everyone has experienced dark words. Opportunities present themselves to bring back your expertise and leave that negativity behind.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
How to bounce back from an ego/when imposter syndrome is raging.
1- Take a step back – Look at the behavior of the person giving the feedback across-the-board. Is this normal behavior? Or is there something that seems specific to you? Make notes on the behavior of the one criticizing your work.
2- React later - Depending on the culture of work or your client coming at you with one-off-feedback, quiet down for a bit to let your anger subside. Reacting, although often delicious revenge in the moment, is not professionally appropriate. Give it time for an inquiry to learn more about what you can do to right the ship. Defensiveness will ultimately work against you.
3- Absorb only 1% of feedback. Just like press, any feedback is good. Even in anger or untruth there might be one percent to incorporate into your worklife. Can a part of the feedback be true? Can it change you for the better? It’s a blessing, albeit rudely delivered, to get information on what you can improve or how you are perceived. Often my clients get zero input into their work which is equally frustrating.
My biggest coaching advice is to let your ego take a break. In a world of information overload, crank out some work you know you can handle easily and swiftly to find a rhythm and confidence without lingering in self doubt.
