Signals (part 2 of 2): 7 Signs of Struggle

This is the second post in a two-part series on Signals, those feint and not-so-feint signals that tell you how things are going during your first few months in a new job. Part 1 was on the 8 Signs of Early Success. This post is about the signals that tell you things aren’t going so well.

The signals that indicate things aren’t going so well fall into two camps:

1. You haven’t been visibly endorsed
2. Your work isn’t having an impact

You know you haven’t earned the endorsement of your boss or your peers when:

– You aren’t in the critical path of planning
– Decisions are being made without your direct involvement
– You aren’t given a broad enough forum to share your thinking
– Your boss asks you to present your ideas to a group invited by your boss

You know your work isn’t having an impact when:

– Your ideas aren’t showing up in anything except your own presentations
– There is both silent and vocal resistance to your points-of-view
– Your big, strategic ideas are trivialized as possibly valid for tactical purposes

If this is happening to you then you are certainly frustrated, possibly confused, and likely concerned. What can you do? That’s the content of a future post. The good news is there are immediate steps you can take. The other good news is your organization can do a much better job of ensuring your success.