My coaching colleagues and I were talking the other day about the challenges we have when we suspect it is our client causing the problems he/she is trying to overcome at work. It can be just as challenging for an outsider to identify the root of a problem as it is for an individual to realize he/she is the problem.

Here are four ways to help you face the person in the mirror and determine whether you are the issue.

Basics

First, let's start with the basics of you as an employee. How would you rank yourself on concrete things like turnaround time, punctuality and dependability?

Are you constantly late, asking for extensions or missing things? Rate yourself somewhere between one and five. Do people love working with you and keep giving you projects because you always exceed standards? Then rank yourself between six and 10.

If you are scoring yourself below a seven, you may be part of the issue.

Relationships

Next, consider your relationships at work. Do you hang out with anyone from work outside of work hours? Do you eat alone at your desk? How often do you engage in pleasantries around the water cooler?

While it is not critical to socialize with people outside of work, it is important to maintain a collegial environment with fellow co-workers while you are there. If you avoid talking to the receptionist because you hate hearing stories about her cat or you email accounting even though you work in the next cubicle over because you think they are weird, then you may be part of the problem.

Style

Do you dress like everyone else at work? Have people commented frequently about your hair, clothes or shoes? While it may seem silly, what you look like is a critical part of how people perceive you.

It is certainly not necessary to give up your identity and dress in a uniform to please others. But it is a concrete way of noting whether there are some obvious differences between you and your co-workers.

While your clothing alone may not be a problem, add that difference onto any of the differences mentioned above, and it becomes one more reason why someone else may have a problem with you.

History

Probably the most important item to examine is whether you have had this problem before. If it seems like you run into this issue at every job you have had, realize the common denominator in all of those jobs is you.

Before you protest, it is understandable that systemic changes like fighting for fair pay, reasonable hours and safe working environments are conditions that may be worth it to you to stand up, regardless of how many times you face them. Less clear cut are persistent issues like being stressed because of unreasonable demands. Or never having time to take a vacation — or even more basic, eat lunch.

If you are constantly feeling like you are overworked, underappreciated and underpaid, you may be part of the problem. Take a look in the mirror and take the first step by acknowledging the person you see might be the issue.