Case study
My client that wanted it all. She wanted to feel good about what she did, feel happy most of the time and earn lots of money. She told me that he was no longer willing to do a job that was fantastically well paid if she hated doing the work.
The client I was working with was in her 40s, paying a mortgage with a family to support. She worked for a regulatory body that had undergone significant change and reform over the last three years with no end in sight. Wave upon wave of substantial cross organisational change had been inflicted on her and her staff which had failed to deliver the expected performance and efficiency improvements. She and the teams she led were change fatigued and demoralised. They still wanted to do a fantastic job, but organisational structures and IT infrastructure prevented them from doing so. Despite this she still cared deeply about the mission of the company and those it served. She wanted to stay and was determined to make sure that things were different in future.
Just like the Gen Z workers I mentioned at the start of my newsletter; purpose was important to her. Despite the problems the organisation was facing its purpose strongly aligned with her purpose in life and values. She was offered a promotion surprised the senior leadership by saying no. At this moment in time, she regarded her salary as sufficient to meet her needs and she just didn’t need the extra pressure and responsibilities of the new job.
So what?
Its not just young people want change. The priorities for many older, experienced employees is changing too. The pandemic caused many of us to pause and take stock about what is really important in our lives. I’m not saying that striving for promotion and higher wages is a bad thing. For many its exciting, motivational and leads to positive development. The point is its no longer a universal driver for all.
What does this mean for us as busy working professionals?
Its OK to take that promotion if its energising and linked to what’s important for you. Is ok NOT to take that promotion too. You can always take it in the future when the time is right or stay where you are. If staying where you are makes you happier, more engaged, improves your wellbeing and helps you maintain the right balance in your life, Fantastic!
We can all benefit from using the PWS framework to help us audit our work life, identifying areas for improvement.
Try this:
What’s right for me NOW?
Get yourself in a calm and relaxed state. Put on your favourite guided meditation track. Listen to some relaxing music. Use a one-minute mindfulness technique. Do whatever you need to do to slow your racing mind and get into a calm relaxed state.
Ask yourself the following questions one by one. The pebble drop technique can be helpful here. Ask yourself the question then imagine gently dropping a small pebble into still water and watching the ripples flow outwards. Sit and wait patiently for a reply. After you have allowed plenty of time for the answer to emerge in an unhurried manner, repeat the technique for the next question.
1. What is important in my life right now?
2. Have I got the balance right in my life right now?
3. What tweaks could I make to improve my health and wellbeing?
4. Does my work nourish me or deplete me?
5. What is stopping me from being more productive at work?
a. What do I have control over?
b. What small tweaks could lead to big productivity gains for me?
Pick a maximum of three areas to work on. Write down:
· “It is my intention to focus on improving” … [the area you will be working on]
· I will [what you plan to do about it initially] by [date you will do it by]
When I have guided clients through this exercise in the past it has had powerful, and often unexpected results. Please do message me and let me know how you get on and what you discover.
