3 Ways To Prevent Bad Luck From Affecting Your Work

By: Heidi Sawyer, Manager, Market Engagement, Manpower 

 

Sometimes there may come a point in your career when you feel like you are in a rut of bad luck or headed towards one. Perhaps you recognize that you aren’t performing the best. Maybe there has been some shakeup in the company and a restructuring appears to be on the horizon. Or, you have had some personal issues that have invaded space in your mind while you are at work.

The last thing that you want is to have any of the issues mentioned above to lead to more stress and more bad luck.

So, whether you are trying to get out of a rut or simply looking for ways to avoid them, instead of booking that trip to kiss the Blarney Stone – why not consider some of these options.

Take A Self-Assessment

Those that take the time to self-reflect on their performance in an honest and detailed way are often some of the people that are the most successful. It is likely that you know before your boss does that you are under-performing. So, why not address it yourself…before they have to?

Take a good account of how you are spending your time. Are you being sidetracked by non work related issues? Are you being as efficient as possible?

If you are feeling like you are underperforming, are you clear on what your performance expectations are? If not, ask for some clarity. If you are clear on the expectations, dig further to find out what is holding you back from meeting them and look for some creative solutions to help you conquer the rut.

Since we all can pick up some bad habits along the way; sometimes just going back to the very basics and focusing on the foundational pieces of your work will make a world of difference.

Focus on What You Can Control 

When things don’t seem to be going our way all too often we try to control everything, only to quickly find out that the more we try to control the less control we actually have.

Whether changes are looming in your company, or they have already taken place – the best thing you can do is focus on your little piece of the corporate puzzle. Keep your head down, stay focused on your work and your behavior and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. Even if luck doesn’t go your way you will be able to walk away with your head held high knowing that you did your job to the best of your ability and, chances are, with some terrific references for future employers to call.

Treat Work As Your Safe Haven

I am sure you have all been told that you need to leave your personal problems at the door when you get to work. Just saying it that way sounds cold and harsh and the truth is, it just isn’t always possible. What is happening in our lives outside of work often weighs heavily on us no matter where we are so to expect you drop it at the door is perhaps a bit much.

What we recommend – is to treat work as your safe haven away from life’s obstacles, again like above a place where you know exactly what you can control. Work is a place you can escape from your home life, and home is a place to escape from your work challenges. Creating that line is often going to lead you to peace. When all else fails use the resources provided to you by your employer (ie. personal time off and employee assistance hotlines)

If you are looking for something new, or curious about what opportunities are out there, take a moment to register. Who knows, maybe you will be lucky and one of these positions will lead to the pot of gold you have been looking for!