Helllo!!! 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
If you’re one of us who went through the switch back to Standard Time from Daylight Savings Time last weekend, I hope you’re dealing well with the shift. Every year I feel surprised by the change, by how dark it gets SO early. Ugh.
Try to take advantage of the daylight when you can; making time for a quick walk outside during the working day is one of the best productivity hacks there is, as well as being good for your health and soul.
Taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury; it is a key requirement to building a life and career that is sustainable over the long haul.
The focus of this week’s article is ‘personal responsibility’, and it was a conversation I had with someone that prompted me to write about it. Personal responsibility means accepting that you’re where you are in life because of the choices you’ve made. Accepting this is a challenge that many people face, yet it’s one of the most important things to understand for building a successful career.
Let’s dive in!
Tim
Revolutionize Your Work: How To Take Ownership And Transform Your Role
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I want to share a powerful conversation I had with someone who was feeling disheartened by their current job. They felt their job did not allow them to fully leverage their skills, and that their supervisor wasn’t appreciating what they could bring to the table. They felt like they had more to give if they were just given the opportunity. I suspect many of us have felt this way at various points throughout our careers.
Their first instinct was to search for a new job, since this one obviously wasn’t working for them. However, our discussion revealed a different path worth considering.
Feeling Underutilized and Undervalued
They expressed a common concern: they felt like a cog in a machine, unable to showcase their full potential or make a significant impact. They were certain that a new job was the answer to their frustrations, that everything would be better once they had a different job. In fact, they were looking at work that was obviously not a good fit for them, but they were so intent on just moving on.
This is an obvious – and yet all too common – mistake, and one that can have serious repercussions. After all, if you go to a new job, you’re now the newbie. You don’t get the sexy work; you are going to get the tasks that others don’t want. Since you’ll be new, you’ll need to prove yourself. Maybe you’ll discover that the new environment is substantially worse than where you were. (Been there, done that!)
I’m not saying that you should be afraid to change jobs; not at all. What I’m saying instead is that you should be intentional about how, why, and when you change jobs. You should run towards an opportunity that excites you, not run away from something.
Big difference.
I encouraged them to consider something drastic: accepting personal responsibility for their job sucking.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but hear me out.
When you accept responsibility for something, you gain a critical power; the ability to respond.
That is what responsibility is: response-ability, the ability to respond. Accepting responsibility means you can respond differently, which will undoubtedly lead to different results.
Accepting Personal Responsibility: A Catalyst for Change
They seemed a bit shocked when I suggested they accept responsibility for not having a job they loved, like I’d just insulted them. It was as if I had unintentionally prodded an exposed nerve, which I suppose I had. After all, most people intuitively understand that they play a key role in shaping their daily work. While you need to do the tasks you’re given, most people have some flexibility and choice in how they get the work done. If you consistently deliver good work and stay in a role for a longer time, you’ll gain more freedom to shape your work. Cal Newport refers to this as ‘career capital’ in his amazing book ‘So Good They Can’t Ignore You’.
The idea is simple; you contribute beyond what your job description says you need to do. You learn what needs to be done for your team to be successful, and you do the work of ensuring team success. When you make your boss look good because their team is delivering amazing work, you earn an unbelievable amount of career capital. Supervisors want to keep people like that around, and will make sure they do. They’ll give them freedom to do the work in a manner that works well for the employee, rather than imposing a strict process. They’ll close their eyes to you taking a longer lunch because you went for a walk, because they know you’ll deliver great work for the team. You’ll become the go-to person, the one that gets to help shape the direction of the team.
It means doing the complete reverse of what he was doing: it’s about leaning in, rather than stepping back.
Not only will your supervisor give you more freedom when you do this, it will change your perspective on your job. You will understand you actually play a role in co-creating the work environment. By leaning in and taking ownership, you’re raising the bar for the team. You’re encouraging others to stretch as well and showing leadership. The performance of the entire team can change.
Most importantly, you’ll feel better about yourself and how you’re contributing.
Once you act this way at work and take ownership of your job, it is impossible to go back to the old way of doing things.
While it’s essential to find a job that aligns with your skills and values, it’s equally important to recognize your role in shaping your career. You have way more power than you realize.
Before you run away from a job, consider that you’ll still bring yourself to a new one. And if you aren’t capable of taking responsibility for shaping your work now, don’t expect it will be any different at your new job. You’ll still be there.
Own your work and lean into it.
Your call to adventure!
Ready to accept responsibility for your work and to craft it into something that works for you?
No need to go it alone.
I have a track record of helping people fall back in love with their work and am ready to help you do the same.
It’s never too late to do it. But you need to take action.
Book a call with me today to get started building an incredible work life.
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Quotation that I have been pondering
We are responsible for the outcomes we achieve in life, whether those outcomes are good or poor. The Australian actor and author F. Matthias Alexander illustrates understanding this in this quote:
Remember that the choices you make consistently compound over time and lead to your future. Adopt habits that align with your goals and steer clear of ones that move you away from the life you yearn for.
Journal Prompt
Fear causes many people to remain stuck in a job they don’t like. They worry about how much they could lose if they leave or change. But few consider the costs of remaining, which is this week’s prompt.
After reflecting on this question, if you don’t like where you’re headed, change direction. You don’t have (and shouldn’t!) upend your life completely, but you need to realign yourself now. The longer you wait to make a change, the farther away from your destination you’ll be.
Slight changes can compound over time to add up to lead to a an extraordinary life.
