Climbing The Career Ladder: What’s Holding You Back?

If you feel like something is holding you back in your career, then you’re certainly not alone. In a rapidly changing business arena, countless people are feeling stuck in a rut, and struggling to make any kind of progress towards their long-term career goals. You may not have considered this before, but there’s a chance that you could be your worst enemy. Here are a few common issues that tend to hold people back in their careers.

You’re Lacking in Confidence

If you don’t have enough confidence in yourself, it will be something that holds you back through your entire career. If an opportunity for a more senior position has come along, and you let it pass you by, thinking that there’s no point in applying for a job that you won’t get anyway, it may be time to work on your confidence. Yes, constant approval from your boss can be reassuring, but the higher-ups at any company are much more likely to respect someone who can stick their neck out, take risks, and then stand by decisions that they believe in. There’s no point in rocking the boat just for the sake of it, but if you have your reasons, don’t be afraid of doing something that’s outside of the box. This will help you stand out in the workforce, and improve your chances of getting that next big promotion.

You’re Procrastinating Too Much

If you find yourself saying “I’ll do it tomorrow” a lot, then procrastination could be the big thing holding you back in your career. Everyone feels more up to pushing themselves at some points more than others. However, if you wait around for the perfect moment to take make a step forward with your career, it’s never going to come! There’s always going to be some kind of excuse for not sending an application, not going for a promotion, failing to network or putting off distance learning programs like Find Your Context. This is pretty obvious when you take a step back, and yet countless people wind up going through the motions at their job, never really taking any proactive action, and wondering why their career has hit a dead end. If you’re going to do something to better your professional life, do it now!

You’re Not Coming Out of Your Shell

While being sociable doesn’t necessarily have any effect on how well you perform your work, it can have a considerable impact on how quickly and easily you can achieve your overarching career goals. Business is all about building strong relationships with others, and though you may not be an entrepreneur, it can pay off massively to play ball with this convention. When you’re well-liked at your work, you’ll become happier and more engaged with the business, boosting your productivity. You’ll also have more influence over the people who trust and like you, and any kind of teamwork and communication will flow much more naturally. Yes, you should be keeping your head down at times, but it’s important to balance this out with being social at work.