I Love My Job...BUT
I love graduation season. There is something exciting about seeing young individuals jump into a new season, eager and full of hope and dreams as they embark on a new journey. Recently, I had the opportunity to spend the day with a student about to begin his career. He took a very distinct road in college, worked very hard and he excelled. The skills he developed were highly sought after and he had the opportunity to choose from a myriad of fortune 500 companies to begin his career. As I sat with him and chatted about his future and his expectations, the joy and excitement were contagious! He has ambitious goals and he wants to make a difference. If I could bottle that optimism for the workplace, I would be rich. However, as we chatted one thing became clear…he doesn’t know yet the hard things that are in store for him!
Many of us seasoned veterans know, work is hard! (We love our job, but…) There always seems to be something. There are projects and tasks that we would all simply rather just avoid, workplace dynamics that are challenging and, quite frankly, people that working with can sometimes be very stressful. Whether we would like to admit it or not we all avoid hard things, it is human nature.
Three truths about our roles in the workforce remain whether you are just starting your career, find yourself in the middle or almost to the end:
1. It's not easy. But we want it to be. Unfortunately, people whether they know it or not, will always take the easy way out. Avoiding the tasks that need to be done, the conversation that needs to be had or the accountability that would make things better. We instinctively avoid these things because it takes more time, energy and thinking.
2. It always requires change on our part. Whether it involves people or a process, we seek the path of least resistance. When something gets hard, we realize the current path of least resistance is NOT working. Therefore, something has to change and regardless, it will affect us.
3. It's emotionally draining whether we want to admit it or not. There is a lot of pressure to produce results in the workforce. This can cause people to say or do things that cause us to emotionally react to the experience. We have a belief about that emotion - press in or avoid - which then drives our actions and leads to a result. The result can be good or bad depending on the situation. This in turn, starts the cycle over.
How do we change to make our roles in the workforce better? Start with a list of things that are hard for you and you might be avoiding. Next, begin to establish new patterns and habits that will ensure better outcomes as a response to these hard things. This very process is fundamental for success in leadership. As you look to grow as a leader one of the most fundamental things you can do is to step back and ask yourself, “What things are hard for me that I try to avoid?” This is the beginning to growth not only in the workplace but in every facet of life.
Want to learn how to stop avoiding the hard things and grow as a leader? Reach out, we are here to help!
Susan Rozzi is the president of Rozzi and Associates, a leadership and organizational development company helping good leaders become great! Our programs start with the premise that great leadership skills are a product of time, practice and focused development. Our leadership development, emotional intelligence insight, and career management programs can be customized to meet your desired outcomes and needs. Contact Susan at susan@rozziandassociates.com.