One of my greatest career lessons came from one of my lowest career moments. It was the day my director told me my probation was being extended. Until that day I had been the golden boy in every organisation I’d worked for. I’d started to believe my own hype, so being put on probation had me feeling like I had failed. I was put on probation because my director was undecided on my abilities, some of the team were singing my praises, others were unconvinced I was up for the challenge. I had two options, start looking for a new role, or show them they made the wrong decision. I chose the latter, and I’m grateful I did. I have no doubt I could have found a new role, but going through the process allowed a growth in me that I may not have otherwise experienced.
In this post, I will discuss what led to me being put on probation, how I responded and the lessons it taught me.
What is Probation Period
A probation period is a period of time at the start of employment when an employee may be dismissed with little or no notice if they’re found to be unsuitable for the role. It’s very normal to include probation periods – typically three months in length – within any new employment contract. (https://citrushr.com/blog/day-to-day-hr/what-is-a-probation-period/
Extending the probationary periods
The purpose of extending a probationary period is to allow the employee further time to improve his/her performance in order to demonstrate competence in the full range of duties and required behaviours. (https://www.firstpracticemanagement.co.uk/blog/posts/probationary-periods-a-guidance-to-probationary-periods)
One of my happiest career moments was being offered a position at this company, to me it served as confirmation that I was on the right track, and it came with a nice salary package for someone my age. However, the honeymoon period didn’t last long. I was working on a project I didn’t enjoy, I was doing work that I felt I shouldn’t be doing and was clashing with a colleague. This led to me being placed on probation.
How Did I Get Here?
My mindset wasn’t in the right place from the start. I was put on two projects, one which I loved the other, I hated. The first one was a typical Business Analyst project, I was engaged and wanted to complete the project to the highest standard possible, the second was more of an administrative project and I just had no interest in it whatsoever. I developed this sophisticated excel sheet to process the data but wanted no parts of the data collection. To be honest, my ego was in play a little bit. I felt that I was in this senior position, so I shouldn’t be doing the work that I was doing when I was a junior.
In addition to this, I was also suffering from recurring mouth ulcers, the pain was to the extent that talking was difficult, this led to me being quiet most of the time and when questions were asked I would defer to my colleagues. But I think this was interpreted as me being antisocial or not appearing to care.
To make matters worse, I had deaths in the family. My aunt had just passed away from cancer, and shortly after that my uncle was murdered while on holiday in Ghana. I didn’t take time off for compassionate leave and didn’t tell anyone, I felt like I was displaying weakness, I was under the belief you should never bring your personal issues to the workplace. But the loss had me down.
Shortly after I was told my probation was being extended. From the stories I heard it appeared if your probation was extended they were getting rid of you. I was quiet when I was told, but I made a promise to myself to prove them wrong.
So What Happened Next
The first step was recognising the areas I needed to work on, I identified the following areas:
- Improve relationships with colleagues – I was friendly with everyone but didn’t take the time to form meaningful relationships. If you have ever wondered why some people get a faster response than others, in most cases, it will be because they’ve forged great RELATIONSHIPS.
- Get the job done regardless. – I decided regardless of the task, get it done. The buck stops with me, once you remove the ability to blame anyone else you will be surprised how fast things get done.
- Remove Ego. – The chip on my shoulder may have got me to this position but it would also stop me from progressing if I was not careful.
- Be Vulnerable – Needed to be open with colleagues not for sympathy but so they understand. Some may not see being open as being vulnerable, but I’m a very closed off/stand up person, if I don’t know you I won’t speak to you, but I’ve been slowly trying to shake off this mindset.
Improving relationships was easy especially when sincere and intentional. I spent time truly getting to know my colleagues, and showing myself to them too. I remember connecting with a colleague over our love for “The Flash” TV show. I would go out of my way to help them whenever I could and they, in turn, returned the favour. This led to me getting things done quicker than it normally would take. The day things really changed was during our company day, we were put in groups and had to present to the wider team, I was just myself, but it was a side they had never seen before. From there it felt like I was really part of the team. At times you will need people to go the extra mile for you, it helps when they know you’re worth it.
Working hard has never been an issue, but doing something when I’m not motivated is a completely different story, I had no interest in the administrative project, but I now looked at it in a different way, this project was a reflection of my attitude, work ethic, and technical skills. How did I want people to see me? Once my perspective changed everything else did, I got that project completed in record time, I was motivated to resolve issues.
My ego is something that I will forever be trying to manage, but in this instance, I needed to put it in place quickly, who was I to think I shouldn’t be completing certain tasks. Some decisions were clearly wrong, but rather than focusing on who is to blame, I just accepted it was my responsibility to resolve it.
I had to be open with my colleague about what was happening in my personal life, but not for sympathy but just so they understood. When I shared what had happened they were shocked and understood why I seemed distant at times.
Needless to say, I passed the extension, but more importantly, I had grown as a person, I was forced to address the issue rather than find a way out. I could have easily found a role somewhere else, but I worked hard to prove to myself I belonged there.
Lessons Learned
Networking is key – Relationships will take you far in life, the more meaningful relationships you have more the gifts you have. It allows you to leverage the skill sets of others which allows you to get more done. Furthermore, there is something to learn from everyone.
Ego is the enemy – Ego has provided me with the drive to achieve, but it has also cost me to lose things I love. You need to know when your ego is required and when to put it away. Every now and then I remind myself of my humble beginnings to make sure I never get lost in this world.
Think Win, win – I was focused so much on myself, that I never took the time to see things from their point of view. I have now developed the ability to see things how others may see it. You don’t have to agree but it helps when you understand things from their point of view and can think win-win.
Adversity will always provide lessons if we are prepared to go through it and learn them.
No mistakes in life, only lessons.
You’re the architect of your life.