As you climb the corporate ladder, do you ever feel as if that ladder is pointed on the wrong building? Even if you are not trying to climb a “corporate ladder”, do you simply find yourself disconnected and stagnated by the ideals that have been adopted by the majority in certain environments.
Let’s take work for example. Remember back on day one. You start your new job with anxious excitement. You work to put in your all–taking work home, even. Along the way you discover productivity strategies that will enhance your performance. You continue with the established process, until you feel comfortable enough, work up the courage to share your ideas on implementing a more effective strategy.
You gather your evidence, meet with your boss, and present your ideas. Immediately an almost deafening silence ensues. Chills come over you and your sweaty palms. The pause seems like an eternity. But for the first time, you meet the ancient spirit of progressive suppression who descends upon that room. A glazed look comes over the boss’s face as the spirit, whispers into their mind saying, “That’s not how we do things here”. Snapping back into reality and time, you are met with the dreaded response. “We will look into it; however, we have a certain way of doing things. We’ve tried different things in the past, but they did not work.” What a jaw-dropping solution-focused response! Blown away.
It is a backhanded way to say, ‘I am not going to give you the opportunity’. However, they dress it up citing that you are too young with no experience. Being open-minded since you are the new kid on the block, you tell yourself that they are older, more experienced and consider that there is a bigger picture that you are not seeing clearly. “Perhaps, they know what they are talking about.” You convince yourself of this after a few seconds of reflection. Meanwhile, keeping it together with a smile on your face, you thank them for their time. You walk back to your workstation, defeated–only to go back and bore yourself with the work you were attempting to improve.
You realize that the work you are doing is going unnoticed. While others are getting the credit. Others are whispering inaccuracies and sabotaging the process, but it falls back on you. Petty policies are hindering you from flourishing. Day after day you begin to realize just how drone-like people become working in environments that do not suit them. No one is excited. No one has energy. They can not even feel the high energy you bring or even hear the fresh ideas you bring to the table.
Trapped. You slowly deteriorate emotionally every day. You want to quit, but you want to stay and continue giving it you all with the hope that it is gets better.
Corporate and community culture is are tricky little demons. Depending on the environment, you have to ‘look the part’ and ‘speak their language’. Otherwise, you better be doing something pretty spectacular to be noticed–even if that is not in your job description! Culture has to be be cultivated to reduce stagnation. It is when the things we do begin to get out of alignment with the mission and values of which we seek to attain. Those cogs (i.e. closed minded thinking, slow innovation and implementation, etc.) that occur in the wheels which cause the entire corporate and community cultures go awry and become stagnant. Everyone is afraid of trying anything new. This is not good for business or our communities and certainly not good for you!
This morning, I came across this video. This guy best explains his experience, and why he decided to do what ever it took to remove himself from that type of environment so that he could grow and flourish. I certainly have encountered some of his scenarios or have seen it done to others. You have to do what is right for you and move forward, rather than be stagnant.
Once you are done watching the video, let me know in the comments, if you have had any experiences as such. How did you handle it?
