Last week I had a chance to work with a large group of school administrators in Virginia. We had three hours to spend together and covered a wide range of topics. We mainly focused on creative thinking around common workplace issues.
Toward the end of our time together, however, we spent our time talking about the stress and tension that comes with being in administration, focusing especially on the possible disconnect that can happen between who you are as a person and what is demanded of you in your present professional role. The slide below served as one of the vehicles for our discussion:
As reflected in this slide, each one of us has come into our present work and present role with a host of expectations about who we want to affect and how we want to perform. Regardless of your particular role, you bring to your work a desire to be effective at your work and positively influential on others. However, at times there can be a disconnect between that image we carry of ourselves and the work that we are doing.
At times when that distance is greatest, it’s likely that you’re struggling to remain energized and committed to your work. At times when you’re deeply connected to that sense of self, you’re probably fed by the work in tremendous ways.
The onus then is on each individual to strive toward closing the distance between the best parts of yourself and the work you do. That is not only an institutional charge but also a deeply personal one as well.
While challenging, viewing our work this way ensures that we remain grounded in the very reasons we chose to work where we do, for whom we work, in the ways we work. Few things are as pleasing as a day when we are our very best self at work. May you have many days (starting with today) that falls into that realm.
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