Are Your Own Agist Thoughts Holding You Back At Work?

It’s easy to put the agism blame on others. Often agism bias from external individuals can hold you back, however, there are also other instances in which your own agist thoughts can keep you off the fast-track towards success – especially at work.

It’s easy to fall into a pattern of relying on yourself. When a problem comes up at work, or you are assigned a new project, you might do a few things:

– Rely on your previous experiences in similar situations
– Type your query into an online search engine
– Seek out an expert in the field and watch videos they’ve created

These are all great ways to go about learning something new, but one big aspect is missing.

Chances are there is someone in the office who has had similar experience to what you are looking to learn, or who has worked on a project that aligns well with what you are about to start on. It’s also probable that they are senior to you in age by far, and that you have avoided asking them for advice because of that.

It could very well be true that you and someone older would approach a problem or work assignment very differently, but that should be seen as a positive rather than a negative. In fact, getting ideas that you yourself wouldn’t think of should be celebrated.

Your own ageism against co-workers who are outside of your personal generation can be holding you back immensely. If you actively seek out their advice you could be opening yourself up to a mentor opportunity that can get you wins at work, and in turn open numerous doors for you.

Pay attention to who you gather advice from at work, and make an extra effort to speak with individuals you may subconsciously be avoiding. Your own agist thoughts may be holding you back.