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Abstract

e the letters arrive on bright red paper like they do in cartoons. It was stressful.</p><p id="5415">Some of you have been there. And if not, you may have experienced a similar disruption due to illness, relationship problems, or other circumstances.</p><figure id="71ec"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*zVOU3aDsHH76pIPj4xAOFw.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@gpthree?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">George Pagan III</a> on <a href="/s/photos/stress?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><h2 id="4dd5">What to do when you can’t get it right</h2><p id="ec53">People seldom want to perform badly in their workplace. Particularly, if they need their job to survive and support their families. I am fortunate that I am now in a place where I have the opportunity to mentor others who are struggling and this is the advice I provide:</p><h2 id="faa5">1. Your performance is a measure of the difficulties you faced and not a measure of you</h2><p id="6164">Look again at your performance metrics, but view them as a measure of how difficult that time was. You probably tried to push through, thinking work was your escape and all was going to be okay in that compartment of your life. But, it really was a difficult time. And those metrics do not measure you, they measure the difficulties you faced.</p><p id="de53">The common phrase “you cannot pour from an empty cup” is true. When you go through a time of adversity it is difficult to be present for others. You probably can’t see it, but others notice. To my students, I wasn’t present and available, one said I was “out of it”. They saw me as uninspiring.</p><p id="7ceb">I didn’t realise it at the time, I thought I was doing all the activities I had done before. I didn’t know why I was failing and I lost confidence.</p><h2 id="8b58">2. Don’t lose confidence in your ability</h2><p id="db76">I took my poor students’ evaluations as a measure of who I was, and this made it very hard to walk into a classroom and succeed. I was caught in a cycle. But, once I looked at them as a measure of what I had faced, I felt I could achieve anything.</p><h2 id="a311">3. Reach out</h2><p id="036e">Re

Options

aching out is hard. Firstly, as you may not want to share your personal circumstances and, secondly, as not everyone will help. A number of times when I reached in my workplace I was asked to tell someone else. Persist. Tell your supervisors, and if they can’t empathise don’t stop. Keep extending your circle until you find support. Stressful circumstances are isolating, but connections will pull you through.</p><figure id="51ff"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*pCYlu-d2Wt4zbuzFbcbCFw.jpeg"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@dbeltwrites?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Dustin Belt</a> on <a href="/s/photos/stress?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure><p id="8d4b">Connect outside the immediate circle you work in. I joined a year-long mentoring program, enrolled in a graduate certificate, and embraced new opportunities. I gained my confidence back through new interactions. If you only retain your existing connections you risk being stuck in a feedback loop; receiving negative feedback will reinforce your perception you cannot perform and make it difficult to improve.</p><p id="5b16">A comeback isn’t easy. Just like Brittany couldn’t shake 2007, I found it difficult to shake my ‘<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annus_horribilis">annus horribilis</a>’ for a number of years. But, with new connections, I realised it did not matter what some people still thought or said. I realised I really did still enjoy my work, I try to do my best, and I could choose to keep taking steps forward.</p><h2 id="bcb5">4. Be there for others</h2><p id="210a">Now, in my interactions with students, I try to remember that each student has a life outside of their studies, and for some that life is filled with turmoil.</p><p id="b5f1">If you are a leader and see someone struggling as I was, remember most people want to do well, most people just keep going instead of asking for help.</p><p id="61f3">You can’t pour from an empty cup. If you see someone is running on empty remember that each person has a life outside of their work. For some that life is filled with turmoil — and most of the time they just need you to care.</p></article></body>

Uninspired Teaching

What to do at work when you can’t get it right

I didn’t use to worry about my performance at work. Early in my career as an academic I simply enjoyed making classes fun and engaging with my students. I introduced role-plays, games in lectures, and creative assignments. I attended professional development courses and events and redesigned my classes using my new knowledge. I scored well in my student evaluations simply by doing what I loved.

Until I didn’t.

One semester my student evaluations plummeted. If I look back at my class materials then I can’t see anything different. I would stay up to the early hours a number of times a week. I introduced developed materials and started initiatives I have since received awards and for which students now comment positively about.

Yet, I received criticism in student evaluations at the time for seemingly everything — even my clothes and shoes.

And it worsened. My supervisors told me I was underperforming. Looking back I think they were as confused as I was; nothing specific was raised and I wasn’t offered any support.

Colleagues would stop me in the corridor or enter my office, shutting the door to tell me they’d heard I should be careful if I wanted to keep my job. I felt embarrassed, confused, anxious, and stressed. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong or how to fix it.

The problem lay outside the classroom.

I was a single parent working full time. I was raising two very young children alone. Suddenly solely financially responsible for them, and at the lowest level of the academic pay scale, it was impossible to meet all the bills.

I discovered that when you aren’t up to date with your mortgage the letters arrive on bright red paper like they do in cartoons. It was stressful.

Some of you have been there. And if not, you may have experienced a similar disruption due to illness, relationship problems, or other circumstances.

What to do when you can’t get it right

People seldom want to perform badly in their workplace. Particularly, if they need their job to survive and support their families. I am fortunate that I am now in a place where I have the opportunity to mentor others who are struggling and this is the advice I provide:

1. Your performance is a measure of the difficulties you faced and not a measure of you

Look again at your performance metrics, but view them as a measure of how difficult that time was. You probably tried to push through, thinking work was your escape and all was going to be okay in that compartment of your life. But, it really was a difficult time. And those metrics do not measure you, they measure the difficulties you faced.

The common phrase “you cannot pour from an empty cup” is true. When you go through a time of adversity it is difficult to be present for others. You probably can’t see it, but others notice. To my students, I wasn’t present and available, one said I was “out of it”. They saw me as uninspiring.

I didn’t realise it at the time, I thought I was doing all the activities I had done before. I didn’t know why I was failing and I lost confidence.

2. Don’t lose confidence in your ability

I took my poor students’ evaluations as a measure of who I was, and this made it very hard to walk into a classroom and succeed. I was caught in a cycle. But, once I looked at them as a measure of what I had faced, I felt I could achieve anything.

3. Reach out

Reaching out is hard. Firstly, as you may not want to share your personal circumstances and, secondly, as not everyone will help. A number of times when I reached in my workplace I was asked to tell someone else. Persist. Tell your supervisors, and if they can’t empathise don’t stop. Keep extending your circle until you find support. Stressful circumstances are isolating, but connections will pull you through.

Connect outside the immediate circle you work in. I joined a year-long mentoring program, enrolled in a graduate certificate, and embraced new opportunities. I gained my confidence back through new interactions. If you only retain your existing connections you risk being stuck in a feedback loop; receiving negative feedback will reinforce your perception you cannot perform and make it difficult to improve.

A comeback isn’t easy. Just like Brittany couldn’t shake 2007, I found it difficult to shake my ‘annus horribilis’ for a number of years. But, with new connections, I realised it did not matter what some people still thought or said. I realised I really did still enjoy my work, I try to do my best, and I could choose to keep taking steps forward.

4. Be there for others

Now, in my interactions with students, I try to remember that each student has a life outside of their studies, and for some that life is filled with turmoil.

If you are a leader and see someone struggling as I was, remember most people want to do well, most people just keep going instead of asking for help.

You can’t pour from an empty cup. If you see someone is running on empty remember that each person has a life outside of their work. For some that life is filled with turmoil — and most of the time they just need you to care.