
1. OVERWHELM
This is the number one complaint I encounter. People feel disillusioned, overworked, and under-acknowledged. Their expectations of the job and/or themselves have fallen short. This can lead to mental, emotional and/or physical fatigue, and makes them vulnerable to negative thoughts and toxic behaviours. This can quickly become a downward spiral.
2. LACK OF MOTIVATION
When people are tired and dissatisfied at work, it takes extra effort each morning to motivate them to do their job as well as they can. They do not reach their potential. If they are unable to communicate effectively what is happening to someone who has the ability to support them, their performance and possibly their team's performance will suffer. People who were once motivated will feel demotivated.
3. LACK OF SELF-AWARENESS
When people don't understand who they are or how they come across to others, they may find it harder to communicate effectively what they are thinking and feeling. Not understanding our past conditioning and how our personalities and characters have evolved can limit our ability to acquire new skills that are suited to our professional desires and aims.
4. POOR COMMUNICATIONS
A common challenge people have at various stages of their career is not knowing how to adapt their communications style to different situations. Dealing with different cultures and different levels of hierarchy requires interpersonal communications skills. Speaking in public requires self-awareness and confidence. Without these skills, people can get lost.


5. LACK OF CONFIDENCE
People may want to take risks and grow beyond their current position but for various reasons, hesitate to take the leap. When people don't feel safe to take a few professional risks in their career, they may end up stuck in a job they have outgrown. They may play it safe because of a lack of personal confidence or lack of belief in the organisation. This can lead to compromise, denial of ambitions, and long-term frustration.
6. NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
When people believe the negative thoughts most of us have or are exposed to each day, they will develop a negativity bias. Negative thoughts lead to unpleasant emotions, which affect our physiology. This can lead to undesirable behaviours and habits over time. If we do not interrupt the cycle, we can develop an "addiction" to negativity at the mental, emotional, and physiological levels.
7. INTERNAL PRESSURE
People with a tendency towards maladaptive (i.e. rigid) perfection may put themselves under unnecessary pressure to get the job done, at any cost. They may not realise the value of asking for support, and can put others under unnecessary pressure. They may also struggle to value their efforts. Over time, this can increase anxiety and erode their professional self-esteem.
8. EXTERNAL PRESSURE
The higher up the chain of command we move, the more external pressure we will encounter. This is natural as by moving up, we will take on more responsibility. If we haven't developed the self-awareness, self-management, interpersonal and communications skills needed to handle these high pressure scenarios, we will encounter further stress.


9. SETBACKS & ADVERSITIES
We can't always control the negativity that enters our lives. An adverse situation will occur at some point. Someone will die, someone will get sick, someone will lose their job. We may end up in crisis ourselves. We may be struggling to come to terms with other challenges in our lives. If we don't have the attitude, support and life skills (such as resilience) needed to safely cross adversity, we may suffer personally and professionally.
10. TRAUMATIC STRESS
In some work environments, witnessing war, conflict, disaster, death, injury and poverty are an everyday reality. The work may be dangerous, emotionally distressing, and even traumatising. When people aren't given the support and skills they need to operate in and beyond these environments, and don't have the strength, ability, or means to prioritise their self-care, they are particularly vulnerable to burnout and more.