Longest Flows the River that Finds its Way Through or Around the Rocks

“Get a great first boss. That will make or break your career”.

“I joined this company because I wanted to work here, but I want to leave because of the boss”.

“My environment is toxic; I want to change my job”.

“I am only making power-point presentations and excel sheets; there is no learning”.

“The company doesn’t encourage innovation; nobody wants to upset the apple cart”.

I have heard similar statements from many over the years. Few weeks ago, someone asked me if there were times in my career when I mentally disconnected from the work and performed mechanically. My response, that I did not have such instances, was received with disbelief. I shared my perspective and reasons for this.

Experiences in life may follow the sinewave pattern. When things are going well, a time will come when the curve starts goes down. And when things are in the dumps, there is no way but up. I can deal with the situation when I acknowledge consciously and understand that this may happen. There will be many times when my environment is not in my control (the curve is going down); however, the way I deal with the situation is entirely up to me. The time taken by me to manage or change the situation is dependent on my response to the forces acting in the environment.

Whilst it may be an easy solution to leave every time the sinewave starts going down to change the environment, does it really equip you to deal with difficult situations?

A colleague who was my HR Business Partner was almost in tears because of a new but difficult HR Head. Despite her 15 years’ experience, she had never had to deal with a difficult boss. I helped her realize that she now needed to learn to manage a bad boss.

Of course, due to the principle of sinewave movement, there will be problems in your career. Any situation or person may be the source of the problem. When I was a trainee engineer responsible for utility operations in the plant, someone told me – “Don’t wait for anyone to give you the authority. You know what you’re responsible for; just go do it”. When you understand, acknowledge and accept that you alone are responsible for your learning, growth, and therefore your life, you will find ways to manage the situation, whatever it be.

Longest flows the river that finds its way through or around the rocks.

(this was shared on LinkedIn in June 2024)