3 Career Mistakes & What I’ve Learned From Them
My career journey has had ups and downs. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone makes mistakes at work. Mistakes are a great opportunity for learning, but the consequences can be painful. Below I’m sharing what I have learned from some of my career mistakes. I hope this resonates with you, but I also hope it prevents you from learning something the hard way, too!
Mistake 1: Live to Work. Don’t have a life. At many points in my career, I thought being successful meant working as hard as you can, until you drop from exhaustion. In my youth, no one could out-work me. For much of the time, I was single and childless. I devoted every waking hour to work. I denied myself sleep and rest. On the weekends I didn’t work, I would crash. I would only lay on the couch and iron my clothes for the next week. I thought all of this would lead to more success, more accolades, better performance, and promotions. I WAS promoted several times, which reinforced my behavior. However, the extra work did not lead to better business performance. I was too tired to make strategic decisions. Because I believed I could work unlimited hours, I would fail to prioritize thus spending hours on tasks that did not contribute to the company’s goals. The overall financial results of area of responsibility suffered, and I often missed deadlines. What I learned: Have a life. I can be successful without suffering.
Mistake 2: Results are all that matter. Because I had no life outside of work, I was too stressed and obsessed to appreciate my employees as human beings. I saw them as a means to hit company goals and treated them as such. Such an outlook is so sad and wrong. I missed the opportunity for meaningful connection, and I missed getting the best out my employees by not caring about them. To truly know them and what’s important to them would have been the right way to work together, but also would have created loyalty and opportunities to motivate and inspire. I deeply regret this part of my life. I wish I could go back and listen to my employees and learn from them, as they were all unique and special beings with much to contribute. What I learned: Relationships are the why. The business will always need more money, but I am only on Earth with these people a short amount of time. Use it for good.
Mistake 3: Too Much Accountability. One of my greatest strengths is accountability. I am good at holding myself and my employees accountable for results, tasks, and behaviors. I was so good at this, it became a detriment to my career and my business. Accountability and eliminating low performers is part of the process of building a high performing team. I eliminated so many employees that I because perpetually short-handed. My employees could not fulfil the basic job duties, and to pick up the slack, I started doing the work of the employees who were gone. I worked 80 hours a week, including weekends and holidays. I was so tired that I stopped making good decisions. I was crabby and angry and I treated my good employees badly by snapping at them. I was not taking a strategic perspective on how the work would get done and what the ramifications were for eliminating low performing team members. I tried to change everything at once instead of slowly over time. What I learned: work to change attitudes and behaviors of the team slowly over time. It’s what’s right for the team and what’s right for the business.
I am curious if other women leaders have had similar experiences. I would also love to hear stories of what women have learned as they navigate their career! Please share your experiences.
Me as a 28-year-old manager. So young. Wish I could go back in time and help her.