I believe everyone begins a new role with an open heart and an open mind. With a positive intention to make a difference and to learn from new people and companies that we believe are doing things faster, more efficiently and with common sense. Places of work that are better than our last. But over time we come to realise that the same problems exist there too. Same shit – different toilet.
We change jobs every once in a while, but we just end up going through a similar cycle, which looks something like this:
Start a new role with positivity
Attempt to have meaningful conversations with colleagues and executives
Discover dysfunction
Attempt to have meaningful conversations with colleagues and executives (again)
Get frustrated
Accept and adapt to the dysfunction within
Realise that your integrity and / or personal growth are in jeopardy
Leave
For some this whole process happens quickly, within a few months or even weeks. For others longer, a year, maybe two. I fall into the later bucket. I make excuses to convince myself I’m helping an organisation and the organisation is helping me to grow, learn or change. But the reality is that the larger the organisation the slower the rate of change, and my impact is minimal in the grand scheme of things.
The result? We end up spending lots of time in a corporate world of compromise.
Of doing enough to make sure we keep our job or get our contract renewed. Of acknowledging but fitting into the dysfunctional organisations and systems within them. Of knowing when something is not the best way or has minimal value but doing it anyway.
We also live in a world of complaint. One where we’re happy to express our disagreement with how things are (with our mates in the pub). To shake our heads and tut about certain conversations that have take place during the day (to ourselves on the journey home). To openly vent our frustration (on a blog post that a few hundred people will see)
Sound familiar?
Ok, now ask yourself this – Have you done anything tangible to try to improve your situation? Are you willing to take deliberate action to make things better? To call someone out or create an environment where it’s safe to call someone out?
As you get older you come to realise that the magical place of work with the ideal blend of people on a team, working conditions that encourage autonomy, purpose and mastery and where red tape is not found in abundance in the stationary cupboard are very rare. Even if it does appear it is often fleeting and as such it’s fruitless to keep waiting and hoping for that ideal to present itself to you.
You come to realise that real change, and I mean deep meaningful change, comes from within. It comes from our heart. And therefore it starts with us.
If you want things to change in your office, and to get a deeper sense of purpose and achievement from your work, you have to be willing to:
push yourselves towards that goal
open more conversations about the current situation
experiment with different ideas to reduce dysfunction
enhance your knowledge by reading books, going on courses and listening to podcasts about our given role
know our own truths and not be scared to share them with others
be willing to feel a little uncomfortable at times
to speak to and challenge leaders who have a greater ability to influence change
be willing to be coached by others
develop emotional intelligence and humility
The cold hard truth is that it’s only if you adjust your own behaviour that a meaningful change can occur. Others may follow or even join you on your journey, but it starts from within.
It starts with you.
