The first of the year brings discarded pine trees, extra trash to the sidewalk, and increased de-cluttering physically and emotionally. Early January is the #1 time for internet dating website registrations, as well as people filing for divorce. With the job market being as robust as it is, people also get fidgety about how they are earning their money.
One of the symptoms is plateauing. Symptoms abound and are somewhat easy to spot.
- Increased malaise (an “I don’t care”) attitude at work.
- A lack of goals and deadlines, with delays occurring with easy regularity.
- Being a minimalist: doing only what’s required, arriving late and leaving early, bringing forth no new ideas, and demonstrating a diminished concern for dress and /or grooming.
- Behaviorally tense, irritable, and rude, often coupled with a decreased sense of humor.
- Being a bit self-centered, rather than maintaining a big picture perspective.
- Whining about rules, seeking acceptance by others (increasingly needy), and having feelings of exclusion or self-pity.
- Getting sick, or feigning sickness, more frequently.
When managers recognize these symptoms, they need to talk about it. A great leader keeps her or his people growing, and plateauing rarely happens in growth cultures. Education is a great enabler, as are formal and informal rewards tied to performance and recognition.
From a worker’s perspective, seek change within the job as well as your life. Change is inspiring and, while it comes with risks, helps create growth rewards. Stay engaged — don’t become a passive observer, be an engaged “doer” — and demonstrate compassion to those affected by the changes you are trying to make or disappointments you created in the past.
Plateaus come to us all throughout our lives and careers. Because they are flat, they are easily traveled. All you need is the “want to.”