40 ways that we content and UX professionals get in our own way in our careers (and lives)
I’ve spent two decades working in content and communication roles and consultancy. For about 15 of those years I’ve supported content professionals through training. And for the last five years I’ve also supported them through coaching. Over that time I’ve come to realise that almost always the things that get in the way of the career development and growth of content professionals has nothing to do with skills and capabilities, and everything to do with how fundamentally ridiculous we are as human beings. Every one of us. Yes, including you. It’s beautiful and silly at the same time. Adorable and also so completely disempowering.
At the end of June I delivered the closing keynote at the Frankwatching Content Conference in Utrecht, Netherlands. In my talk I shared 40 things that I reliably see us content professionals doing - or ways that we show up and relate to things - that ultimately can disempower ourselves as professionals.
I thought I’d share all 40 of them here. How many can you relate to?
A scarcity mindset that prevents a belief in expansion and possibility (“there’s never enough time, money, learning… etc”)
Stopping at “I can’t” or “I don’t know”
Perfectionism
Relating to things as being “hard” or “difficult”
“Should-ing” all over ourselves (“we should do it this way”, “I should be more like that”, etc)
Making decisions based on past-experiences and “evidence” instead of future possibilities and trust
Buying into a narrative that something is impossible
Saying no to things that we really want to say yes to
Believing that there is such thing as a “right” or “wrong” way to do something
Being deeply uncomfortable with not knowing and making it mean that we’re less than or not good enough
Worrying
Over-preparing
Evidence gathering
Planning for every possible outcome
Tab-hopping and mindless scrolling
Talking yourself out of the the thing
Avoiding a messy conversation
Condition stacking (“I will be confident when I have done that job/been on that training/worked for more years, etc.”
Reading every new book about content
Attending every conference or training session about content
Not having clearly defined goals or outcomes for ourselves
Passing over or denying our emotions and feelings
Being at the effect of others
Waiting
Training other people to reinforce our disempowering behaviours
Saying yes to everything
Allowing others to train us to reinforce their disempowering behaviours
Making our success dependent on another person changing something about themselves
Deference
Resenting others
Avoiding healing and carrying negative energy from past experiences around with us
Overwhelm and an addiction to being busy
Being the strong one
De-prioritising our health and wellbeing
Sleep deprivation or denial
Not asking for support
Burnout
Believing that you’re not good enough or not ready yet
Imposter syndrome
Silencing or diminishing your voice.
How many can you identify with? And please don’t worry if you don’t understand what some of them mean. That doesn’t mean anything about you. It might not be something that you do, or it might not be something that you’re aware that you do.
Some of these behaviours might also sound hugely positive, like reading lots of books and attending lots of conferences. They absolutely are! The question at the core of all of this though is whether you’re doing these things from an empowered place, or from a disempowered way of relating to yourself that has you believe that you’re not good enough, don’t know enough, or aren’t ready enough. In other words, if you’re doing these things as a way of trying to “fix” yourself, then all you’re doing is reinforcing an underlying belief that you must be broken.
But you’re not broken. And I’m here with a coaching programme to help you appreciate that.
Want to remove some of these barriers from your world and career?
I work all the time with people to help them create breakthroughs in these 40 areas and many many more. This coming August 2022, I’ll be starting up the third cohort of my group coaching programme for content and UX professionals. We’ll explore some of these kinds of stops and many others that might be hindering progress in your content career. There are still spaces available on the programme, including at least one completely free inclusion scholarship place (apply by 22 July 2022).
You can learn more about the group coaching programme by following the link below. You can also book a time to discuss with me how this programme might help you to be more unstuck, more purposeful and more fulfilled in your content career. I’m excited to support you in becoming unstuck.
Find out more about the group coaching programme for content and UX professionals (starts 10 August 2022).