Self-talking voices seem to be getting louder for folks I have been talking to lately: Can you hear yours, or are you trying to quiet it down? Should you be listening instead of ignoring it?
Job complacency and company loyalty are two examples of self-talk mufflers. They can be awfully good at drowning out self-talk that should be heard and better considered.
The Job Complacent Voice sounds something like this:
“I know this is not my dream job, or even my work-my-passion job, but it has been paying the bills for me up to now, and you know what they say about not biting the hand that feeds you. Besides, everyone knows this is not an employee’s job market; it would be foolish to rock the boat now and even think about trading up.”
The Company Loyal Voice sounds something like this:
“I’ve been here a while; I have seniority and people know me here, and identify me with this company… I’m comfortable enough, and the company has been taking care of me all this time; I have no reason to believe that will change. I should do my part and stick with them when times get tough, you know?”
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That kind of self-talk (or out-loud talk for that matter) is NOT what Mellow Mālama Maintenance sounds like: That is Mediocrity Mumble Jumble.
Times are such that many people who have been job-complacent and company-loyal for a while are getting nervous. They are asking themselves if they are working beyond their means in any way, and actually being foolish:
Are they kidding themselves about their level of security within the jobs they have? Do they really have job security right now, or not?
Could there possibly be any big decisions deliberated in the corner office that may affect them? What in the world are all the higher-ups doing in there right now, and what are they talking about?
I don’t know what your job’s circumstances are right now, however I do sense that it is a good time to be thinking about these things. It may not mean you need to start job hunting, and could be far from it. However this may also be a good time to talk to your family about any way family habits collectively are on auto-pilot. When times get dicey in rough economic climates we get great opportunities for new conversations; it’s an up side to the whole mess. Listening to your gut instincts, and having those conversations with the people you love about important things (and not so important things in the grand scheme of life), THAT’S Mellow Mālama Maintenance.
We often tell ourselves that we shouldn’t bother or burden our families with stuff that goes on at work; we buy in to that “should this, should that” talk about keeping our home and work lives separated when in our hearts we don’t really, truly believe it because we know that our work affects just about everything. Work is just that way: Makes sense when you think about how much time we spend at it.
I think that following your own instincts is generally a great idea. So is listening to that self-talk when it begins to ask questions. If you have those Job Complacent or Company Loyal mufflers, get rid of them. Mediocrity in any of your habits will never be anything remotely close to Mālama.
How do you feel about this?
Let’s talk story here if you feel it might help, for we Ho‘ohana together,
~ Rosa
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Personally, I've always found it of great value to get the fresh perspective of people who care about me. They listen out of concern for my well-being, and respond with ideas or solutions or just insights that may have eluded me. They bring the value of their life experiences to their perspective, and I find that so helpful when making decisions about my career. Sometimes I get so busy hacking through the forest, that it's nice to know I can ask someone to climb to the top of the trees and see where I'm going.
Anita Bruzzese
www.45things.com
Posted by: Anita Bruzzese | April 10, 2008 at 11:47 AM
So well said Anita! Thank you for sharing your comment; what a wonderful way to meet you, for I have heard of the good work you do in your own workplace coaching.
Getting the help we need from those who care about us, even within the simplicity of a conversation with them, can be another way of letting them know how much we value their insight, knowledge, AND care. I do like the way you have phrased it for us, for we tend not to think of "older" time-honored relationships as the place to actually get "fresh perspective" - and you are right, we do!
Posted by: Rosa Say | April 10, 2008 at 12:16 PM