I took a job a while back that seemed like a step down at the time. I was heavily recruited in my field and decided to go to a company that was still very much growing. I could’ve gone elsewhere for more prestige or a better title, but I felt like this was something that would pay off as the company expanded. It was a logical move in the end as I wasn’t super far along in my career and had room for some risk (even though it was a small risk).
Things started out slow, and the growth didn’t really come as expected. Fast forward a bit, and I was asked to change my role and take charge of a team that was in disarray. It was in an area that was outside my comfort zone a bit and handling responsibilities I really wasn’t fond of. I wasn’t happy about it, but felt like there was little alternative at the time.
It wasn’t fun and I continued to not enjoy it despite efforts to keep my eyes on the future. It’s hard to remain focused on possibilities when your present day is frustrating and unrewarding. When it starts to look like your circumstances aren’t going to change, that’s when it can turn sour. Suddenly a great opportunity feels like a giant mistake. You feel like your talents are being wasted, like you could be helping in other areas but the situation won’t allow it, like your career is taking a nose dive. That’s how I felt.
Should you find yourself in a situation like this, it’s likely you’ll check out mentally. You start to not care, your quality of work gets worse, and the negative feelings snowball. It’s easy to start lashing out at people around you and to start acting like a jerk in general.
But you know what? You shouldn’t. You don’t have to blindly act like everything is sunshine and rainbows, but you should act like a damn adult. Be professional and find a productive way to improve your situation.
Basically, don’t act like Greg Monroe.