Project leader is critical of reader

I have always been a goody-two-shoes. When I was a kid, I was the one who sat in the front of the room and raised my hand when the teacher asked a question. Today, though, I find myself in a situation where I feel like the bad kid in school. I’ve been working on a project that I thought would be a lot of fun and enriching. While it is, I feel like my efforts to do a good job consistently fall short of the project leader’s expectations. He is super critical of everything I say and do, and I have found myself retaliating. Because it never seems like I measure up, I sometimes don’t even try to do the best job. I know this is wrong, but it seems to be a knee-jerk reaction.

Recently, I got called in to my project leader’s office and reprimanded because I had not completed a task well enough. I’m wondering if I should just leave this project. It is so rare that I slack off.

Rather than walk away from this project, consider this a wake-up call. Do a selfassessment and project review. What specifically do you think has prompted you not to do your best? Work to isolate that so that. Pay close attention to your behavior, as you are the only one you can control. You do not need to revert to goody-two-shoes status, but it would be wise for you to understand what made you veer so far off your norm. You may be able to adjust a bit and stay right there, or the signs may tell you it is time to go.