Do you feel powerless or worthless to affect change in your organization? I mean, what can you do? How about just go and get a tall macchiato from Starbucks and drown your sorrows? That’ll feel great, right?
Ah yes, that is a perfect example of someone who has hit rock bottom in the workplace. In fact, I was that person, not too long ago. In a recent podcast interview with Jeanette Bronée, I asked, “How do we get people out of the “Starbucks, I can’t affect change” cycle before they hit rock bottom? And she offered some great advice, which I would like to share with you today.
Jeanette Bronée is a performance strategist, culture coach, wellness advocate, and founder of Path For Life, Inc. Jeanette helps leaders and companies rethink performance by asking “The Right Why®” so they can lead themselves and their people better and achieve sustainable success. She is passionate about how we can create a culture of care by unlocking what truly drives performance, engagement, and motivation from the inside out.
Now back to the question at hand, how can we avoid hitting rock bottom at work?
Jeanette had this to say, “I’ve really gotten to see the insights of the human struggle in terms of not being appreciated at work and what it does to a person.” She believes that self-care is part of the answer and the ability to change within. Of course, that’s easier said than done.
She offers up this advice, “Have self-kindness or self-compassion for that moment and say, ‘What I really need right now is to take a walk so that I can just get away from this toxic environment and remind myself that I actually do matter.’”
Jeanette believes that self-care, self-connection, self-awareness, and self-expression are a big part of building the muscle that helps us see ourselves for what we’re really worth rather than what we believe we’re worth.
When she talks about self-care, she is not referring to being pampered, having massages, or doing yoga. Instead she means being very active and engaged by taking charge of our day and taking charge of our performance. “What I look at is, what do we need so that we can be at our best rather than hanging back and feeling all cozy at work.”
We go to work because we want to matter.
We want to create change or we want to be part of something.
The reason we get frustrated with work is because that doesn’t happen for us. And then we stumble down the mountain and hit rock bottom. So the next time you are teetering towards the edge and reaching for that frappuccino with double whipped cream, remember Jeanette’s advice, take a deep breath, go for a walk, and realize that you matter. You matter and your work matters. And, you guessed it, you fix work by fixing yourself. Self-care is one small step towards that goal.
To hear more of my conversation with Jeanette, where we talked about the intersection of wellness, well-being, culture, leadership, and performance, go here.