Guest Post by Janet Fouts
As professionals we often have very specific ideas of what success will look like from the perspective of our job description and our goals for promotions, etc. Sometimes, we also forget that success is more than just income, status or recognition.
After all, successes don’t mean a whole lot if we don’t feel good about who we are as human beings when we reach them. That includes taking care of our own health and sanity, and not over-tasking ourselves to the point that we are not functioning at 100%.
Success is a feeling of satisfaction, of respect and of accomplishing our heartfelt goals.
Let me give you a scenario; Jim has been itching to move up to a director position and his supervisor keeps dropping hints about “small tasks” that are just not getting done by others in his department. It’s not Jim’s responsibility to solve it, it’s someone else’s, but time and again, Jim steps up and fixes it. Pretty soon Jim’s desk is overflowing with projects and his boss is starting to complain that his assigned work is falling behind.
How does this happen?
Jim has become the go-to-guy for half the department because in his mind being a valuable resource that everyone can rely on makes him vital to the success of the company.
We often jump into that “save the day” mode, and don’t stop to think that we are also setting ourselves up to be the person that all the tricky tasks gets dropped on because we will step up, every time, and simply DO it.
In many ways, this undermines the morale and productivity of the whole team, and especially for poor Jim, who is overworked and fighting with his family about never being there when they need him.
Is it helping Jim get advanced to that director position? It may not be.
It’s making him vital, but perhaps not promotable.
Why?
Because then who is going to do all this? If you can’t delegate, you’re not really managing people then are you? Some might even suppose you don’t trust anyone to take care of it but you, glorious you.
It’s time to practice mindful self-care.
Setting rational boundaries is hard, but it’s absolutely essential.
When we know our own value to the success of the business and the team, it’s easier to gently and firmly set boundaries. Because we have important work to do.
We can resist the urge to fix everything and learn to train or delegate to someone who’s a better fit to do the job.
When we are mindful about the tasks we accept or suggest they be delegated to others?
- We show that our time and energy is valuable.
- We recognize the importance of the work to the success of the company.
- We respect ourselves and the task enough to manage it thoughtfully.
- We are true team players who look at the team as an ecosystem full of capable people who all have an important role to play.
- We have time for what is important to us professionally and personally.
So, what’s your success plan for 2019? Can you establish your value and boundaries that will give you more time to focus on what really matters? Please share in the comments below.
An accomplished entrepreneur, business leader, executive coach, speaker and corporate trainer, Janet skillfully works at the nexus of tech, neuroscience and mindfulness. She believes deeply in the value of self-awareness and emotionally intelligent communication at all levels of business. Her focus is on creating and executing effective human-centric strategies for leadership and relationship management opens the door for clients to live a more fulfilling life at work and at home. Janet is a best-selling author with 7 titles whose topics range from social media to mindfulness and her latest book, When Life Hits the Fan” offers a mindful approach to self-care for family caregivers.
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