The curse of unrealistic targets & honeymoon blues

The curse of unrealistic targets.

Picture this, it’s 2016, I’m newly married.

After spending 3 weeks in Bali, I’m now in Manchester.

From tropical heat to autumn rain. It was a crash back down to earth!

But, after an amazing wedding, I was refreshed and ready for a challenge.

All change

In 2015, I moved from London to Manchester. My task was to create a team for Computer Futures. A recruitment company created back in 1986.

The team recruited NHS staff. We had a successful start, growing from 4 to 12 people.

Increasing turnover from ￡0 to ￡1.2million in 18 months. Not bad.

The Honeymoon Period

The team functioned well in my absence. Inevitably, the business decided to mix things up. Making a change.

“We’re moving you to manage another team”.

Great. A new challenge.

"Only, we're giving you an underperforming division".

This team was famous.

Renowned for making money and breaking records. But now they found themselves in decline.

Staff turnover was high. With no clear strategy. The challenge was on.

Onset Stress

After a flying start in Manchester, I spent the next 2 years repairing damage.

Life was tough. I was stressed out, and losing sleep over performance.

I couldn't get this team to perform. They couldn't create revenue for the business.

Not in the same way they'd done in the 'glory years'.

I became self-conscious. I started to doubt my abilities. I lost confidence.

Imposter Syndrome crept in.

Looking back

A major part of my demise was?unrealistic targets.

The pressure to save this business was immense. My directors were relentless.

They couldn’t understand why things had gone sour.

"Where's the performance we expect?", I'd hear.

The reality was there was no clear strategy. The team didn't have the capability to perform at the levels that were expected.

Several top performers had left in the years previous.

Over the other side of the fence, my old original NHS team was still firing.

Whilst my new team was going backward.

Expected results

A key trigger for workplace stress is unrealistic targets and expectations.

Are you being asked to create magic with a restricted tool kit?

Sometimes you can't perform at the levels expected. Not because of your talents and capabilities.

It's worth asking yourself, is this realistic? And is the situation causing me unnecessary stress?

When I look back, the results weren’t happening for me. Yet, I plowed on.

I said yes to every target. Because that’s what the board wanted.

I gave it my all. And the result?

Burnout.

Sleepless nights. Unhappy relationships.

Exhaustion.

Career Crisis

If you’re stressed because of work, it’s hard to pinpoint?why.

It’s easy to point the finger.

And it’s easy to shrug off low moments, simply saying it’s part of the job.

Or in my case, “it’s recruitment, that’s what happens!”

But what can you do in this situation?

First and foremost, it’s about taking a?step back.

Be honest with yourself about how life is going.

• Do I have the tools to do my job at the level expected?
• Am I being set up to succeed or set up to fail?
• If I could change things, what would I do?

Self-assessment is critical if you’re feeling stressed.

Unrealistic targets are a major cause of career burnout.

Don’t suffer.

As always, reach out if you need support with any of these issues.

I’ve been there, and it’s my passion to help others come through it.

Have a great weekend.

Tom