This article is essential reading for those in the position of senior manager or above who are struggling to keep their heads above water in the current climate.
'Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.' Benjamin Disraeli.
I have developed 7 steps to help you first to find out whether you are in crisis at work and then to give you the kick-start necessary to get you taking the actions which will change the situation.
My clients are all very busy and I have promised to keep these articles concise accordingly. Due to the size and nature of this topic I have decided to split it across two newsletter articles. Part 2 will be published at the beginning of December 2008.
Step 1 - Identify
Answer these 7 questions quickly and without thinking about the answers too much:
Do you constantly feel stressed or anxious at work?
At the end of the day do you often think 'I have added little or no value today. I have made little or no difference.'?
Is there always too much to do and no time to do it?
Do you think you are unworthy for or unlikely to get a promotion?
Do you think your boss does not respect or value you?
Does it feel as though you have little or no support at work?
Do you think often of resigning or of losing your job?
If you answered yes to 5 or more questions, then you are in crisis.
Step 2 - Accept, Face, Decide
Now that you've realised it the next step is to accept it and face it. Until you do nothing will change. Ask yourself these questions:
Do I accept now that I am in crisis at work?
Am I now willing to face the fact that I am in crisis at work?
Now you have a decision to make:
Are you going to take control and do whatever it takes to change the situation and yourself (because undoubtedly changes are required in both)?
Or are you going to stay as you are and allow things to take their own course without your influence and regardless of your wishes?
Congratulations! You have just taken the first couple of steps towards changing the situation. They were difficult and even scary steps I know. Take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back plus the positive feedback that you have started the journey towards where you want to be.
Now let's start working on getting you from the situation you are in to the one you want to be in.
Step 3 - Set the Main Goal
We need to start with a very clear idea of what you want.
Pick a time frame for when you want to have resolved everything successfully. Is it 1 month? 3 months? 6 months? 1 year? Or something else? Make sure the deadline seems right for you, that you believe it is possible at the same time as giving yourself a slight stretch. Work out the exact date and write it down.
Now what is your goal for that day? You need to come up with a sentence that is phrased positively, is specific and is measurable. Imagine yourself on that day. Think about what you want to see, hear and feel. Once more ensure that you believe this is possible while at the same time giving yourself a slight stretch. Write the goal down next to the date.
It is vital to be truly honest with yourself when setting your goal. It is amazing the number of my clients who say they want one thing, set that as a goal and start moving towards it when deep down they truly want something completely different!
Once more imagine yourself on the day your goal is achieved. What are you seeing? What are you hearing? What are you feeling? Take a few moments to completely immerse yourself in that vision of the future. And then ask:
On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is not at all and 10 is completely and utterly, how much do I truly want to reach this goal?
If something isn't quite right or you realise that goal really isn't what you're after, then re-visit the goal and tweak or re-write it until you can answer the above question with a minimum score of 8.
If that goal seems like the summit of a mountain right now, relax. We're not going to try to fly straight to the top.
In Part 2 of this article at the beginning of December we will take the next 4 steps to break the journey up into manageable bite sized pieces and start to move you forward.
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