When you are in over your head…..

Deep down we all know when we have bitten more than we can chew. Too many unfinished tasks; having an important piece of work to do but no clue where to start  from; or when you have not delivered decent results for a while. What can you do?  

Get help quickly: Stop thinking that you have to do everything yourself. You are not expected to know everything but expected to know where to get the help so you can to deliver. Focus on what the result is that you must achieve, and solicit the help and resources you need to achieve it. Never underperform because you personally do not know how to do something you are responsible for.

Own the execution: Find help but learn from others so that you are able to do the task next time. The more you learn from others, the more you increase your capability, and discover things that you might not have thought of on your own. Seek out people who can bring value to the work you do so you can call on their help and receive it when you need it.  To do this, you’ll also need to invest in other people too, and go to their aid when they too need support. 

Build an ‘extended’ team:  Sometimes you may feel you are not qualified or doing a good job. Take an inventory of the skills you bring to your job. Build a targeted list of people who know things you don’t know, who will readily assist you learn what you need. Don’t think that the only people that can help you are at your level or above you. People have skills beyond their job titles, so look for able and willing individuals rather than rank.    

Be systematic in learning: Don’t panic when you don’t know what to do. Set some priority learning goals. For example; what do you want to do in the next three months that you’re not able to do now? What are you gaping weaknesses that you need to significantly improve? Then develop a plan to skill up. Don’t ever fail because you buried your head in the sand!

Now take action: Where in your job are you average but need to be high performing?