Feeling Trapped by Leadership

Feeling trapped.

Imprisoned by the fear of financial insecurity.

You don’t want to apply for new jobs; you’re worn out. You can’t even imagine doing the same type of work again. You’re over it.

You wish you could go back to the days when you weren’t responsible for other people. The days when your inbox wasn’t full of complaints, when you could actually breathe. What you wouldn’t give for a job that simply paid your bills, didn’t put enormous pressure on you, and let you feel like yourself again.

Management can be brutal. Some people thrive in it, while others feel like they’re drowning. It’s not that we can’t do the job, it’s the feeling it leaves us with. The constant weight. The emotional exhaustion. For those of us who are more sensitive, it’s impossible to just walk away at the end of the day and leave it behind.

So why do so many of us stay? Is it just the fear of not being able to pay the mortgage? Or is it more than that? A fear of feeling like we’ve failed because we couldn’t keep up with the demands of the role?

For a long time, I thought that if I walked away, it meant I was weak. Now I know it had nothing to do with weakness. The role simply didn’t fit my personality.

If you feel stuck in management and don’t know which direction to take next, try working through my Am I In the Wrong Role? workbook. It might spark a realization, or even point you toward a future path that feels more like you.