It’s NOT the Right Fit

Over the past two weeks, we’ve been writing about the importance of remaining open and curious when Receiving Feedback Well. Receiving feedback well can help you to understand whether your impact matches your intent.

There are certainly situations, however, where it doesn’t matter how well you receive others’ feedback, the dynamics of the team or relationship just may not be the right fit.

Sometimes, the boss, team, or a colleague have a way of working that doesn’t match your way of working. When that happens, it may make sense to think about whether or not it’s the right environment for you.

Here are some examples of what we mean:

• If you’re very driven and expect yourself and others to operate at a high level but are in an environment that doesn’t hold its members accountable, you may be seen as abrupt, negative, or even a bulldozer.
• If you’re an introverted thinker and typically need a little of bit time to process your responses, you may find it difficult to work within an environment that requires you to think and make decisions quickly. They may see you as someone that doesn’t have an opinion or isn’t capable of making decisions.
• If you prefer to keep working relationships separate from the rest of your life, and you’re working within a very social company, you may receive feedback that describes you as cold or uncommunicative.

As you can see, often times, the answer
comes down to the work environment.
Are you in the right one?

Think about the way you work, communicate, collaborate, and give/receive feedback, and the relationships you want to have. Then, think about whether or not these are the same traits in the current environment where you work. If not, think about discussing possible changes (on your part or their part) to do things differently and what that might look like.

If it’s just not the right fit, consider the possibility of moving on to an environment that’s a better fit for your needs.

Let us know how it goes!