In this blog I discuss a topic that has been very relevant to me recently: performance pressure. Below you can read more about this pressure, how I deal with it and I will pass on some useful tips that have helped me a lot.

A new job

I have been working a new job since March 2020 and within a short time I was able to find my feet. I work as a service technician in a small family business and have a good relationship with the best employers you can imagine. A total of 15 people work there, the majority of whom are around my age; young people between the ages of 18-25. It is a very nice team and I am having a great time.

Feelings of inferiority

Despite having such a good time, I suffer from performance pressure at  work. An important reason for this pressure to perform is my own experience. A number of my colleagues have been in the business for some time. They are the best technicians in the company and I really look up to them. They are all lovely colleagues, but every now and then I notice that I have less knowledge and experience. The fact that they are more experienced gives me a feeling of inferiority and creates a constant urge to prove myself. I often have the feeling that I fall short when helping customers.

Support

The constant comparison and the uncertainty about my own abilities can sometimes be quite difficult. Nonetheless, when I am faced with problems that I cannot yet solve myself, my employer and colleagues are always there to support me. On the one hand, this gives me a very good feeling; I am not alone. On the other hand, this feels like failure; I can’t even fix this problem myself. Fortunately, I am often reminded by my colleagues that it takes time to gain experience. Thanks to this support and the many good conversations I have had with my employer, I am motivated to keep going. This way I can work on getting better at what I do and gain useful experience.

Tips

I don’t think I’m the only 20-something who suffers from performance pressure, so I’ve listed a few tips that might help you cope with this.

• Learn from the mistakes you made. Your employer won’t get angry just because you make a mistake, everyone makes them! A good employer should enter into a constructive conversation in which you discuss what went wrong and especially how you can prevent the mistake from being made again.
• Ask your colleagues questions. No one will blame you for needing an extra explanation about something you are unsure about. Sometimes prevention is better than cure.
• Get up after falling. It can be painful to make a nasty mistake, but it’s important that you always get up and learn from your them. Only then can you grow! Making mistakes is human. As my employer said last week: “I discovered that I made a mistake in the administration. This mistake has had major consequences, but I am also human. ”.
• Dare to admit your mistakes. If you’ve made a mistake and you’re concerned that there could be major repercussions for the business, the best solution is always to admit your mistake honestly. Admitting mistakes is extremely difficult, but your employer will always be happy with your honesty.
• Be proud of yourself if you did something right without the help of a colleague, without it ever being explained to you, or if the problem is unknown to your company in general.

Love,

Bert

Are you dealing with pressure to perform and would you like to talk to somebody about this? Our NiceDay professionals are happy to help.