3 facts to give you a Covid-19 reality check

So, you’re not happy at work?

Apparently, over 70% of the human population gets up every morning to go to a job they do not like, to work with people they cannot stand in order to achieve goals they do not believe in.

Is this the perfect definition of gloomy, or what?

Or is this simply, reality?

Well, today we take a radical look at how things really are and find out why it might be healthier, in the long run, to have a more pragmatic approach to your career.

Ready for some relief?

Here are 3 facts to give you a reality check

Reality Check #1. You get paid to work

Many Clients become truly upset with their supervisors when they realise that their opinions are –

a. NOT sought

b. When they are sought, they are NOT listened to

c. And when they are listened to, they are NOT valued

This would be upsetting to any warm-blooded human being, as we enjoy believing that we are significant to operations at work. That the company would STOP, if it were not for us. (Really?)

Pragmatic check

It may be time to take work off that omni-present pedestal.

Yes, that pedestal that you placed it on, eons ago, when you decided that your self-worth would be hinged on what you do at work. That the source of your identity would be what you see on your payslip.

Wake up. Smell the coffee.

Truth is, you are more than what you do at work.

Action time

This may be the year you begin to make new connections. New friends.

Find validation elsewhere. Looking for it from work alone, is like expecting your happiness to come from only your spouse – an untenable, unrealistic expectation.

So stop setting yourself up for constant heartbreaks.

Begin a new conversation today.

Reality Check #2. Your salary will always be lower than your true value

It has been said a thousand times, but yet a number of employees are waiting for the narrative to change. It is worth repeating – “Your salary will ALWAYS be lower that your true value.”

Pragmatic approach

We have so much to say here, but let us present this warning in neon lights –

“The day your salary is almost equal to the value you bring at work, you will be fired.”

Action time

Begin to deliver more value than what you get paid to do – if your objective is to remain at work, or get promoted.

The reality is that a number of jobs are going this year, regardless of performance. Redundancies are part of the economic cycle and have nothing to do with you. That said, those released will experience joy (from the golden handshake) quickly followed by anxiety (what will I do next?)

Companies are right-sizing (a nice word for, down-sizing) as they correct their course and return to basics. Others will exit our market as they retreat to their HQ. Unfortunately, choosing who gets to go home and who gets to remain at work – is still a highly subjective activity. Bosses change lives with just a stroke of their pen.

Question: Who else, beyond your current workplace, knows what you are skilled at?

Does your CV impress?
You know what you must do.

Reality Check #3. The world owes you nothing, it was here first.

Mark Twain made this statement decades ago, and it still remains relevant today.

Do you know that needs to be improved at work?

Great! Here’s the best career advice you will receive this year –

“Open your notebook and write down all your points. When you become the boss, open your notebook and implement those brilliant ideas.”

If no one has already told you, the thinking has already been done “up there”. All they want and need from you is efficient implementation with less attitude.

Pragmatic approach

We often approach tasks with the mindset that current systems need improving – remaining blind to the fact that the people who were architects to that “broken system” are still around and will not take kindly to the “criticism” buried within your “interesting ideas”.

What to do?

Action time

Become acutely aware of your skill gaps. We can help. Enhance your influencing skills, refine your communication, and become political – ensuring that everyone who listens to you, knows that they are valued and their contribution matters.

If you are at a decision-making level, increase your MBWA (Management By Walking Around). The simple act of stopping by team members’ workstations to hear what they are working on – will do a lot for staff morale.

If you are at the implementation level, understand what your company is trying to achieve and how your role fits in. Volunteer for cross-functional teams that work on company-wide solutions and begin to increase your understanding of your industry – what challenges its facing, and what the solutions are.

This experience will be stretching – and may be just what you need to set yourself in a better place to seek a more strategic, better paying role, in your next workplace.

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