Is your career plateauing?

One of the most common concerns that my coaching clients come to me with is that they feel their career has plateaued. Typically, they will have risen to the higher echelons of their firm or sector, and have known real career success and fulfilment. They will have once been at the top of their game and been recognised as a leader in their field.

However, time has passed and now they feel ‘stuck’ or unfulfilled by their job, lacking direction as to what their next career step should be. At other times it’s that niggling feeling that something is wrong with their role or career, but not being quite sure how to articulate it, let alone knowing what to do about it.

With this in mind, there are a few key signs that your career has plateaued:

Missed promotions, lack of progress, lower bonus

These are some of the more tangible signs that your career has stalled. Whilst you may have once received a healthy bonus in recognition of your hard work and success, or experienced a steady rise up the company ladder in both role and renumeration, there might have been a marked absence of these things in recent years. This could be a sign that you’re no longer on your ‘A-Game', or that the company no longer perceives you to be. Regardless of why, any of these are red flags that all may not be well.

There is no movement above you

It may be that a glass ceiling has been placed on your progression within the firm through no fault of your own, but simply because there is no movement above you. Your superiors might be comfortable in their role and you can’t move across and up to a more senior position. This might wear you down and lead to frustration that there are few routes to continue your professional growth.

The firm is downsizing or on the decline

Consider where your firm is in its business lifecycle; if your company is in the ‘decline stage’ or even the ‘maturity’ stage, there may be fewer opportunities for growth and progression. This is particularly so if the leadership shifts its attention to cost-cutting and fire-fighting the problems they are facing. This might also reduce the resources you have at your disposal to do your job, which can be both unfulfilling and frustrating, especially if the same or better outcomes are expected with fewer resources.

Your skillset is increasingly irrelevant

Whilst you will have been employed because you had the requisite skills to be successful at your role, things change, and it may be that your skillset has become less relevant. This could be because you have failed to keep up-to-date as changes take place around you, and your skills have become less valuable to the firm. Often but not always, this decline in relevance or suitability links to changes in regulatory requirements and technological advancement.

You’re bored or struggling to find fulfilment in your current role

Finally, you might just feel bored by your current job or company. That drive you had to excel and impress may have evaporated or worn away over time. Feeling stuck or as if the career clock is ticking might lead to deep-seated career anxiety that can, in turn, have a negative impact on your personal life.

If any of the above resonates with you, it’s important that you don’t let these feelings linger. They can lead to a drop in morale and confidence, which can then lead to a decline in performance. Regardless of which strikes you as most relevant, nip it in the bud and take action to change the status quo.