Free Seminars
Improving Your Productivity
It's a wonderful feeling when you're being really productive - you feel like you're in the zone, everything seems to come easily, and people appreciate and admire you. We all want to have this feeling of confidence and competence, but what if that's not your case? If you feel like you're struggling in your job and not performing up to your own expectations, it can make your life miserable on and off the job. As a coach, I can help you learn to cope with the job stress, focus on the job and ignore distractions, get the training you need to be a success, or find a job where your skills are a better match. But most important, I can help you keep your perspective and not panic, and get back to the self-confidence that you need to get back in the zone.
Is it Just a Slump?
Ted Williams, the best hitter in baseball history, said, "When you're in a streak you should be thinking about your next slump, and when you're in a slump you should be thinking about your next streak." No one can be at the top of her game all the time, and you will naturally go through slumps and streaks in your job. If this bothers you, I can help you recognize, accept, and use the natural rhythm of the job to actually help your performance. But if it's not just a slump, if you feel your performance is really declining, then I can really help.
Are You Just Exhausted?
The simplest answer may be that you're just exhausted with the job. If you've been working long hours, or handling a heavy load for a long time, or under a lot of stress, you might be at the end of your strength without knowing it. If this is the case, my coaching can help in three ways. First, I can help you learn the symptoms of exhaustion so you can take a rest before the slump sets in. Second, I can help you realize and accept that you can't work hard all the time, and that you need to give yourself time to recharge. And finally, I can help you learn to regulate your work habits so that you get the rest and relaxation you need to be at your best.
Are You Procrastinating?
Very often, the first sign that something is wrong with your job is that you start procrastinating on small tasks. Then, you put off bigger, more important tasks until the last moment; and finally you start missing major commitments because you just can't get started on the job. Believe it or not, this isn't a moral flaw: it's your brain's way of telling you that there's a serious mismatch between you and your job. I can help you locate the mismatch and do something about it, and your tendency to procrastinate will usually go away on its own as you get more comfortable in your job.
Do You Have the Right Skills?
If you're new to your job, and especially if you've been promoted into it, you might not have some of the skills you need to be effective. If you've been promoted to a manager role for the first time, you need many, many skills that you never even knew of before the promotion. And if you've just come into the job from outside, there are probably lots of on-the-job skills that everyone else takes for granted and you haven't learned yet. In either case, I can coach you to take a survey of the skills you have, make a list of the skills you need to be effective, and make a plan for how to acquire them. The plan might involve more training, or evening classes, or getting a mentor at work to show you what you need to know. And then I can stay with you with encouragement while you learn what you need and get back in peak form.
Are You In the Right Job?
One of the most common causes of slumps is boredom - if your job isn't challenging and interesting, it's only natural that you would lose interest and motivation, and that your performance would go down. And if you're working at a job that isn't fulfilling - if it's "just a paycheck," then it's only natural that you would be unmotivated to excel. Together, we can talk about your strengths and your passions, and see how well this job matches them. And if it turns out that this is not the right job for you, I can help you make a plan either to change the job you're in to be more interesting, or to move to a new, better job.