A year ago at the beginning of Q4, I was stuck in this headspace that I was horrible at my job. I couldn’t get any deal to close at the number I was committing to in my forecasting meetings and I was so far off from my annual quota that there was no chance I was going to come even close to hitting it. I was so ready to quit my job and just give up because I was convinced I was not good enough to be working here. During that same month where I was beating myself up every day, my manager shared the slide below during one of our team meetings.
The slide showed where everyone was at according to our quarterly quota. The team was all over the board – someone was at 156%, another person was at 48%, and another was at 31%. I was at 1%. I felt like such a complete loser and wanted to cry because I had already convinced myself that I sucked but seeing that 1% on the board was the actual proof I needed to solidify my thoughts as facts.
Seeing that 1% made me realize I had two paths to take… I could continue to think that I suck at this job and continue to perform the way I was performing or I could change my attitude and try to focus on what I could control. I made President’s Club the year before, so I reminded myself that I have done it before, however in a year filled with so much uncertainty – I needed to really focus and spend my energy on things that I could control.
Fast forward to the end of the quarter – I missed my number by a couple thousand dollars – and yes it still kind of upsets me today that I got THAT close and still missed my goal but, I learned so much about myself that quarter which helped make up for missing that goal.
During that whole quarter, because I was focusing on what I could control I realized that relationship building with customers is one of my favorite parts of the role. My second favorite part was having renewal conversations with customers about the goals and accomplishments they have been able to achieve over the past year.
My least favorite part of the job was the actual selling piece. With this shift in my mindset, I realized that Account Management might not be the correct path for me, which is why at the end of the quarter I interviewed for a spot on our Customer Success team, which is the team I am on today!
Flash forward to the beginning of this Q4 – I am no longer beating myself up about not being good enough because I am now in a role that allows me to play to my strengths and interests. I feel like I am constantly challenged and I feel like I am growing and learning constantly. So, if you feel stuck or think you are horrible at your job, chances are you too might be in a role or job that doesn’t play to your strengths or interests. I recommend taking some time and really think about what activities in your current role motivate you and which ones don’t and then reflect because chances are you are not the issue, the job is.
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