This week has been…wow.
Eye-opening to say the least. I
appreciate you taking the time to read and let me share. It’s been a great practice on being reflective
on what’s going on in life—I hope you’re enjoying it as well! Please feel free to share. I love hearing stories.
Things at work have really been hopping in the last month or
so, which I personally enjoy. I like the
flow of being busy. I love having
projects fly around all over the place and the adrenaline rush that comes with
meeting deadlines and completing tasks. However, since things have picked up project-wise,
I’ve been noticing a change amongst the people that I work with.
Over the past few weeks, the communication between me and my
colleagues has been dwindling. Easy
conversations have gone dry. There was a
strange sense of whispers and muffled voices amongst the team that I couldn’t
quite make out. I was stumped. What changed?
Is my team mad at me? Did I say
something that upset one or more people?
I couldn’t figure it out.
To be honest, this caused me quite a bit of internal
distress. Noticing the change made me
feel hurt. The hurt became anger. Anger became resentment. Suddenly, the thrill that I got from
finishing a task was overshadowed by this growing miasma of heaviness between
me and my team. It made coming to work
more and more of a struggle.
Amid the darkness, something clicked. Going round and round wasn’t going to solve
anything. If anything, it was only going
to make the situation that much worse. Instead
of continuing to dwell on the negative, I took a good look inside and asked, “When
did this change come about? What control do I have right now? What actions can I take to make this situation
better?” Asking questions like these
forced me to reflect on the situation with an open mind and an open heart.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. With all the projects I’ve been taking over
and having fun with, I’ve been neglecting my team. Previously, I wouldn’t have thought twice
about having a chat with a teammate, even if it was to check in and see how the
day was turning out. With the increased
workload though, that communication went on the backburner. That shift in attention could be the reason
why the team dynamic was tense.
So I took that little nugget of insight and really ran with
it. I made a plan. There was something I could do to change this.
The very next day, I spent more time
with my team. I pulled up a chair and
took the time to listen to their stories, hear what was going on in their
world, and share what was going on in mine.
I admit that I felt a little rusty, but like riding a bike, I got my
groove back in no time.
The reward was instant.
Within 24 hours, the whole dynamic of the team shifted. The heaviness in the office lightened
considerably. Smiles were more apparent,
as well as laughter. I once again had a
pulse and insight into not only how things were going within my team at work,
but how they were doing in their own worlds.
I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it felt to have this kind of
triumph. The impact of this success made
coming to work so much lighter and easier.
It was such a tremendous epiphany that I couldn’t help but
share. We all feel stuck in an aspect in
our lives from time to time. That’s
ok. It’s normal. One thing you can do to have a positive impact
is to look within. What efforts can you
make to make the situation better? Sure,
there are things beyond your control, but find out what you can control and use
that opportunity to make a shift. You don’t
need a monumental move to make a difference.
For me, spending 15-20 minutes commiserating and bonding not only helped
me reconnect and re-engage, but gave me a bit of a breather from all of the
projects I was working on.
Anyway, there’s my little nugget of Zen. Be well, friends. If you’re facing a moment of being stuck, I
hope you can find a little opportunity within to make things a little smoother.
Smile and be well,
al
