Doing something different.

Many of us will find ourselves doing the wrong stuff at some point in our professional or entrepreneurial lives. 

Few experiences are more hurtful than jumping into a job or starting a business and realizing that this is not what you are good at or this is not what you want to do. It is stressful, frustrating, and causes extreme distress. But, assigning blame for it is an exercise in futility.

However, the important thing is to identify and acknowledge the issue quickly and act to make changes. Poor matches do happen. Company cultures change with new leaders. VCs and Private Equity companies take over and begin massive layoffs. Try not to beat yourself. Recognize the symptoms and ACT to get out of a likely depressing experience. 

Here are some symptoms to look out for: 

• You are lost. 

You have always been an outstanding sales and business development person. You recently accepted a lead position responsible for delivering a technical project on the customer site. Are you in the proverbial “Deer in the headlights” situation?

You came prepared for the physics exam only to realize you used the wrong textbooks. 

If tasks or projects leave you unprepared, you must fix the situation. 

• It would help if you leveraged your strengths. 

If your weaknesses have taken center stage, you’ll unlikely stay energized. 

• Learn new skills.

Completing tasks every day is a fundamental need and a responsible behavior. But what if the functions are the same daily and there are no opportunities to enhance your skill set? There are no new challenges. You are going nowhere from a learning new skills perspective. It is time to discuss this topic with your boss or mentor. 

• Connect or explore a change.

Are you and your team or organization on the same page regarding the company’s vision or mission? If not, are you feeling out of sync? No matter what functional area you work in, if you do not relate to the organization’s vision and mission, chances are you are not a good match for the job. It may be time to explore a change. 

• Fix, “Not able to complete anything .”

Does every project seem pointless, and you need to be inspired to complete anything? Something needs to be fixed.

• Are you avoiding the workplace? 

Are you forcing yourself to go to the workplace? Would you instead not go to the physical office? If you have tried to make things work and need help envisioning your future, you have a severe problem.

• Own the problem.

Own the problem even if there were factors out of your control. You certainly can own the part of the problem you’ve controlled. The bottom line? Own the situation and act. Blame doesn’t help resolve things. Plan to move forward.