You Are Right Where You Are Meant to Be: At Work?

©The MBT Blog published by MBT Mindful Business Today

My clients speak often about their purpose, and understanding the reason they worked in a certain position at a particular organization. Sometimes it is about the work, but most often it is about the people. Clients see their value at work in terms of interactions they have with their team and colleagues. What does that tell us about success and leadership?

Has this happened to you? Sometimes clients describe the work climate as a war zone and talk about PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) incurred as a result of the stress from a conflicted, dysfunctional job culture. They refer to colleagues as lifelines in these situations. “I saved my buddy a few times at that job, but we don’t talk about it. Now we are both in safe places.”

You can avoid, adapt to, and navigate a bad work culture and still be the leader you want to be.

A difficult, even traumatic, environment is not the legacy any leader wants to leave. However, when a person is in the midst of it, it is sometimes difficult to identify. After leaving extreme circumstances, clients understand their value more fully when they have the time and space for reflection. “Looking back, I realize I was there to help my team survive, and even thrive, during terrible circumstances,” they say.

What is my point? Should you cross your fingers and hope you do not land in a difficult environment? No. My point is this: You can avoid, adapt to, and navigate a bad work culture and still be the leader you want to be.

The question we deal with in coaching sessions, is “how?” The key is reflection. Creating a habit for reflection builds the strength, resilience, and safe environment a leader needs to give their best self to their team and colleagues.

Here are the steps to take:

• First, know your values. What motivates you? What is important to you? What do you value?
• Use that knowledge as a springboard to understand your raison d’etre – reason for being, your purpose in life and in work. What are your passionate about? What mark do you want to leave?
• Evaluate often. If you create a habit of taking time to reflect on your situation, it is less likely to catch you by surprise. Many of my clients only discover the depth to which a work environment has affected their team and themselves after the symptoms show up physically. Lack of sleep, constant worry, health issues like high blood pressure and headaches, are just a few.
• Act quickly. Once you recognize there is a detrimental atmosphere, create a strategy for how to move forward. This one is a bit complicated. Sometimes, not acting is the best solution. But if you experience great distress, burnout, or see your team experiencing the same, it is time to make a change.

To sum it up, spend time understanding yourself. Use that understanding to model positive, healthy behaviors for your team and colleagues. Be present in your environment to understand why you are exactly where you are meant to be.