A lot of the time, we have thoughts of wanting to quit the 9-5. Someone at work is bringing your ideas down, you’re not getting the autonomy you’ve always wanted, or you’re constantly being blocked by others’ in the team who are more senior or have a louder voice. Sound familiar?
It’s super easy to get into a work rut. When we feel frustrated at work, we take it home, it drags into our weekends and consumes our nightly thoughts when all we want to do is catch up on re-runs of Gossip Girl or other such equally as binge-worthy series. It’s frustrating when we’re trying to shine but feel like we’re not getting prioritised for things we feel are important.
Sometimes we can speak to our managers, friends, others we work with or family about how we’re feeling – however they might not give you the exact feedback you’re after.
Do you feel blocked or can’t seem to get ideas off the ground in your day or night job…or side hustle?
Not sure how to get buy-in from your manager or colleague on progressing with a project you’re really passionate about?
In my years of working various advertising, marketing, design and now current role of being in a digital team – my best advice is to be empathetic towards others’ situations. If it’s your manager, throwing him or her a bunch of ideas with some solid foundation as to why they might need to go ahead is always a good approach – managers are busy people. They want to know that their teams are working effectively and don’t necessarily need to be managed as such. Manage a team yourself? Rather than trying to solve all the problems of your team, give them the opportunity to find the solution themselves, far more empowering and will make them, in turn, feel valued as part of the organisation.
Sometimes, of course, no matter how hard we feel we’re trying, it all goes to mush. Now, more than ever, we have so many resources around to help us. Seek advice from the worldwide community of other women on social. Don’t be afraid to reach out – I find others are willing to help and give advice if you have a humble, down to earth approach. Your aim should be to learn and grow when contacting others – whether it’s the CEO of a major company or simply a sole business owner and woman boss of a small start-up.
I also recommend a business mentor, don’t be afraid to use LinkedIn to find your ideal mentor, someone who could inspire you to understand more about your personality and thus in term help to develop your skills in your 9-5, 6-11 or 9-11. After all, social isn’t always about the latest smoothie bowl, fitspo inspo or luxury destination you know you want to visit. Use it to your advantage, to do good and to stay humble.
