If you’re The Boss, you’ve no doubt come home from a long day at work feeling worthless and discouraged. That’s normal. It’s part of the job.
If it happens frequently enough though, you might start believing you’re not good enough in the role. If that sounds like you, then maybe it’s time to explore these feelings. It all begins with good questions.
Are people telling you you’re not good enough?
- If they are, who?
- Are you getting specific examples?
- If your Boss is telling you this, be sure to ask why.
- Are your skills low?
- Are you not focusing on the right things?
- Are you not prioritizing correctly?
Skill deficiency is fixed through training. Focus problems are fixed through coaching. If you’ve identified the issue, get busy fixing it. Training and/or coaching. Hopefully your Boss can get you the right resources but if not, take care of it on your own. Your professional development is important.
If you’re legitimately not good enough, get better!
But, if your employees are telling you this, be sure to find out if it’s because you’re actually not good enough or just because they aren’t able to push you around. If you hold them to high standards, they probably won’t like you. Which means in their mind you’re not good enough.
My advice to you is to ignore this. Work to earn their respect and they may eventually like you, but if you cave into their demands, they may like you but will never respect you.
So, next time you feel like you’re not good enough, separate the data from the emotion. If you’re not good enough, get better. If you are, take some time to unwind and then get your mind back in gear. A great Boss may not always get encouragement or praise. Don’t confuse this with inadequacy. “I’m not good enough” is a big fat lie!