Could being grateful make you weak?

“I guess I'm just lucky to have a job at the moment.”

This is the most common response that clients give me when I ask how things are going at work. With so many redundancies, people feel grateful to still be in gainful employment and relieved that it's their salary rather than savings that will feed the family and pay the school fees for another month.

The problem with feeling grateful, whether it’s towards an employer or the markets at large, is that it can leave you feeling trapped and powerless. Any plans you had to advance your career, change role, start a new business venture or move house have been put on hold, and when our power to make decisions for ourselves has been diminished, dissatisfaction and unhappiness are sure to follow..

And it's not just your work life that suffers; the reverberations can be felt in your relationships and your health. Even if you still enjoy the content of your work, the fear of loss of income or lack of flexibility tends to reduce your motivation levels. Professional insecurity leads to low personal morale which in turn does nothing to improve the atmosphere in the workplace or the faith of the people you manage. Whether you are aware of it or not, it's your own sense of vulnerability which will prevent you from progressing in these volatile times.

As with most situations that are out of your direct control, the best course of action is to change your attitude towards them. Adapting your mindset won't fix the situation but it will make you feel like choices, and thus power, are still yours.

Here are a few tips on how to regain control and feel the reins firmly in your hands again:

Act as if: Work as if you think this year will bring you the largest success of your career....after all, it may be a reality as soon as next year. There is a fine line separating constructive optimism and blind delusion. Use your common sense – you know the difference. Draw that fine line and decide to tread on the right side of it. You know the risks involved, you are happy to take them. Conviction is key.

Fight the fear: If you want to move job roles – ask if you can. It’s business as usual. The fear isn’t real – its just in your head. Still being engaged in your career progression will help you feel in control and show Management that you haven't tuned out and you won’t accept excuses. You’re displaying personal traits of confidence and resolve – the traits of a true leader. By taking action and leading you feel more in control, positive and powerful.

Know your market value: There may not be much movement in the job market but firms are still hiring, especially for more senior positions. Making some enquiries will at least let you know your current worth, help you gauge what your next move might be and identify the skill gaps that you should be working on now. It will help you and others reassert your conviction to the job at hand. Opportunity never disappears, it's form merely changes over time. Not everyone can see this. You can.

Have a life: Easier to say than do when you have picked up the workload of everyone who's departed over the last few months, but spending time with friends and family doing sport and relaxing will all help you cope better with the stress in the long run. Striking the right work/life balance should never become secondary. Your life engagements need to be prioritised correctly much like your work one's are. An unhappy personal life will ultimately reflect on the quality of your work.

Author
Jo Geraghty is managing Director of “Beyond the Ladder” and is one of the UK’s leading coaches for executives and entrepreneurs.