WHAT GREAT MANAGERS WANT YOU TO KNOW

Okay so I get it, sometimes people would rather volunteer for a long, painful dental procedure than spend time at work. Whenever I coach managers or employees, I find that the same issues arise over and over again and quite often the job dissatisfaction ball is firmly in the employee’s court. That is not to say that there are not bad managers, unhealthy work environments and impossible situations, but the first step is to identify how the individual may be sabotaging or blocking their success, advancement and enjoyment at work. This ensures that if they need to move on from their current job, they will have gained important insight into the habits and mindset that will help increase contentment, confidence and success in a new workplace.

The workplace can be a Petrie dish of unmet needs, insecurities and limitations and also of strengths, talents and skills. If you are not happy at work, the most empowering place to look and therefore the first place to look, is at yourself.

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOUND:

DRAGGING PERSONAL ISSUES TO THE OFFICE IS A SURE FIRE WAY TO SKEW EVERYTHING.

Are you unhappy in your life in general? Frustrated? Going through a divorce or breakup? Wish you had gone back to school or started a bakery? How much of that is affecting your motivation and engagement? Short of allowing you to open up a bakery in the staff kitchen, honestly and truly, how could your manager or co-workers possibly fix that? There should be considerations and support for life’s difficulties, as there will sometimes be rough patches but be sure that you avoid painting your entire work experiences with what goes on away from the office. Take a break, a leave if necessary, get support such as coaching or counselling and take appropriate steps to deal with what you need to deal with. Evaluate how you are feeling about yourself and your life and make the background changes necessary in order to show up engaged and ready to go. 

WORKING ON YOURSELF WILL GREATLY IMPROVE YOUR WORK

What the heck does that mean, you ask? Well, here it is – up your self-awareness, take full responsibility for your feelings and reactions and figure out what you do well and not so well. I had a client who was promoted to project lead. We will call her Sara. Sara had the experience, the knowledge and she had asked for the opportunity, but once in the position she struggled and could not get her footing. She felt criticised by her team and unsupported by her manager. Through coaching we discovered that Sara was feeling incompetent and frustrated in her new position, and therefore saw and “filtered” her co-worker’s responses and encouragements as criticism, and her manager’s “letting her fly” as lack of support. Her insecurities were not allowing her to see what was really happening, communicate her fears or ask for what would be most helpful. She needed to stop pointing fingers long enough to understand what she was thinking and feeling. We needed to figure out what the real problem was! What the office cooler do I mean by this? 

Before the promotion, Sara felt supported, encouraged and valued and suddenly in her new role, all these things disappeared! She discovered it was a problem for her because she felt insecure working on certain projects, so when she was expected to take the lead, she immediately listed all the ways her boss did not support her. The same manager who just promoted her! She was seeing and experiencing things through a lens of fear and insecurity. We can get triggered from past experiences. For example: when your opinion is not used are you being triggered for all the times in junior high when you felt left out? Or are you afraid of failing? Are trying so hard to do it right, that you refuse to ask for support?

You must start with YOU. Many times clients tell me that they are frustrated in their job: bored, underappreciated or overworked, but as we dig in and work on their beliefs, fears, communication skills and personal happiness, their satisfaction increases, without anything having to change at work.  We find that how they are interpreting, filtering and therefore communicating and reacting has more to do with them, than their manager or co-workers. Start working on you and see what can happen.

"Criticism of others is futile and if you indulge in it often you should be warned that it can be fatal to your career. " ~ Dale Carnegie

DRAMA, GOSSIP AND HEARSAY ARE NEVER EFFECTIVE

And only result in wasted energy. I know that there is a perceived connection and a charge that comes from complaining and judging. It is also a lot easier and more energetically addictive than being the person who communicates clearly, looks at the big picture, does not assume and creates solutions. We do not often see the main characters in movies using healthy communication and active listening – that rarely gets the laughs or creates dramatic tension! But, leave that to the script writers and stand-up comedians. If you want increased job satisfaction, learn to rise above gossip and hearsay. Do not assume, make up stories or perpetuate misunderstandings. Learn to clarify, simplify, ask and request. Up your communication skills and stay out of the fray.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

You manager wants you to have job satisfaction. Great managers are advocates for employee success and engagement. Why? They are human beings and they know you are too!  They are managers because they have been employees and they know what it is like - they have been where you are.  They want you to succeed, not only for your sake, but for the entire operation. If you are bringing your strengths, feeling valued and rocking your job then everyone benefits and ultimately the company’s mission and vision will be realized. 

"If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your personal and career life, you must become a worthwhile person in your own self-development." ~ Brian Tracy

You do not have to like everyone, agree all the time or enjoy every moment, of every day at your job. As a matter of fact, if you believe that this is the way it should be, you will most likely be disappointed. But what if we cut each other a little slack and gave each other the benefit of the doubt? It is not up to anyone else to make us happy, feel fulfilled and to like or endorse everything we do all the time and this most assuredly includes our fellow colleagues. 

We must take ownership of our job satisfaction and ensure that we have worked out the kinks in our own thinking, approach and communication. 

If you have done this and you would still rather get a root canal, then you can move on from a place of self-awareness, not victimhood and frustration. You will take with you a bag of tools sure to support you in finding greater job satisfaction, wherever you may land.