I’ve Been Put on Probation…. Now What?!

I received an email this week from a reader who wanted more guidance on her probation status at work. She had read a previous blog posting of mine on the issue.

If you are on probation I encourage you to do these 6 things:

 Decide if you want to keep the job or it would be a blessing to be rid of it
 If you opt to free yourself of the position, make sure you take steps to minimize any damage to your professional reputation by meeting with each party involved and expressing your apologies that the fit wasn’t exactly right and you’re opting to move on to eliminate further harm or embarrassment to yourself, your team and the company as a whole (certainly customize this for the situation)
 If you opt to stay, you have to go in full damage control mode fast.
 Meet with each party involved with the decision to keep or fire you and plead your case, sincerely and openly. You will have to own up to mistakes, miscommunication and faults- even if you don’t believe they are yours. Stubbornness will get you no where.
 Develop your own action plan to get back on track with everyone. Ask for their input. Apologize for misgivings in the past. Tell them you want and will do better for the good of the team and the company.
 Be willing to turn a new leaf. Be better than you were yesterday. Be open to working with people you don’t like or don’t want to like. Realize that you are not perfect, no one is, and your success depends upon your ability to see a situation outside of yourself.