Feeling Stuck

Elisha and I talked about her feeling stuck. She’s been in her role for a while and she wants to get exposure to new things. The problem is she’s so good at what she’s doing, they want to keep her there.

It’s easy to feel stuck when you’re doing the same or similar activities over and over again. Even slight variation doesn’t fulfill someone who embraces a growth mindset.

What can you do about it?

1. Learn something new. Take a class or shadow another team to get exposure to something else. Learning something new will stimulate different parts of your brain and get you out of your monotonous routine.

2. Take on internal initiatives. This can give you leadership experience, exposure to the broader organization, and additional feathers in your cap that make you stand out. Some people hate internal initiatives, but they really go a long way with your personal branding.

3. Get an internal mentor. It’s helpful to have someone that can help you navigate within the organization. They’ll be more aware of upcoming opportunities and can connect you to people in the area you’re looking to grow in.

If you’ve tried that and you’re still stuck, it may be time to look for a new job. However, you need to keep in mind that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. If you’re a project manager at Company A and you get a new job as a project manager at Company B, how would you end up not feeling stuck again?

Before you start looking, understand the areas where you feel stuck and the areas that make you excited to learn. Maybe you enjoy being a project manager, but you want to get more experience managing people. Maybe you’re a Recruiting consultant and you want experience in AI.

During the interview process and even sometimes in the job description, you’ll be able to tell if there are opportunities to learn and grow. Most companies want this for their people because it benefits the organization.

You have to have an idea of what you’re looking for before you can get it. Once you have it, you’ll be riding the learning curve. Where you might have felt on top of the world before, you’re now back at ground 0. It can be a tough pill to swallow. It’s helpful to transition into a role where you’re somewhat familiar with what you’re doing, but there are aspects that are new.

If you’re so stuck that you don’t know what it would look like to not be stuck anymore, think about an exercise routine. If you do the exact same workouts 7 days a week, odds are you’ll get hurt, certain muscles won’t get worked at all, and you’ll end up giving up entirely.

Don’t give up! You do not have to stay stuck!

For specific guidance, feel free to reach out to me! You don’t have to go through this alone.