Get off the plateau

Do you have a feeling of no upward mobility, no roles to progress into? Feeling unchallenged? All these might be an indication that you are plateauing and need to act to pull from the brink. You can start with the following;

Fear stagnation instead of failure: Failure is hard to take and most people do everything to avoid it, but when you try and you fail, you learn something that you can use to do something else. Stagnation on the other hand at best keeps you in the same place and at worst takes you backwards. The world around you is moving so if you stay still, even the value of what you think you know today quickly diminishes.

Aim higher than you believe you can reach: At any point in time, have a stretching vision. You may be performing well, yet, find your work increasingly boring. If the content of the job has become the plateauing factor, look for a lateral move that may be same level roles, but which will give you opportunity to learn new things and to meet and solve new challenges. Plateauing because a job has been mastered does not have to be inevitable.

Take small but sure steps: The danger with sitting on a plateau or not recognising that you are approaching one is that you fall behind and not realise it till the ground under your feet shifts and you have nothing to stand on. You may not have big goals, but have small steps you take every day because that stops weeds from growing in your professional life. Find the one small thing you can start now. Stay focused on the impact you want to have.

Stop looking for certainty: We often want to know every step and think that if we face challenges it’s because we are on the wrong path. The desire for certainty can cause you to avoid experimentation and trying new ideas. Don’t look for precedent or predictability. Allow yourself to explore which can lead you in creating new direction.

Now take action: What are you doing regularly to get better?