Mailbag XXXVIII: When the Job You Need Starts Slipping Away | Workplace Performance, Difficult Bosses, Professional Reputation, and Job Anxiety

What do you do when you finally land the job you desperately needed, then begin wondering whether you’re about to lose it?

How do you repair your reputation at work when your supervisor seems to dislike you, assignments are going wrong, and every mistake feels financially catastrophic?

And when your livelihood depends on keeping the job, how do you stop fear itself from making your performance worse?

In Mailbag XXXVIII of The Observable Unknown, Dr. Juan Carlos Rey responds to Michael L., a listener who landed an excellent new position only a few months ago but now feels as though the opportunity is slipping away.

Michael says he’s dropping the ball on assignments, struggling with the person he reports to, and becoming frightened about what job loss would mean financially.

He’s working as hard as he can.

It doesn’t seem to be helping.

His question is direct:

What would you do if you were me?

Dr. Rey begins with an unexpected answer:

Stop trying to impress them.

Once confidence in an employee begins to deteriorate, spectacular effort is rarely what repairs the relationship.