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Several years ago, I was working in a position that sucked the life right out of me! I was miserable and dreaded Monday so bad that if it had been possible to skip right through to the next weekend with the amount of energy I was putting into hating Monday I could have! It started every Sunday at around 4:00 pm. Seriously, like clockwork. I could be walking with my family, sitting on the back porch watching my kids play, or just chatting with my hubby but as soon as I noticed it was 4:00 pm [or after] enter the sad I-can’t-do-this-for-another-week-again face.
This feeling isn’t rare, and maybe you’ve felt that way too. I read a recent LinkedIn poll of over 1,000 professionals, and 80 percent of employees get some form of the “Sunday Scaries.”
If you’re feeling that way about your job, I have two questions for you:
Think about the position itself, is it something you are passionate about and does the work itself light you up while aligning with your personal values? For me, the job I was working in was not something I was passionate about at all. It was something I had chosen out of convenience for what I thought was best for my family. Isn't that ironic? It did not align with my unique talents or passion, and on top of that, the workplace culture was horrible. So, what did I do? I quit!
I dug deep into what makes me happy and took every personality test I could find to start uncovering more about myself.
I wasn’t looking for a perfect job or a dream job, but was on an exploration to uncover what made me tick. My favorite was the Meyers-Briggs personality test and not only did I enjoy it, but I had everyone else take it too! Coming to dinner at my house? Guess what? Yep, I was administering the Meyers Briggs personality test after the last bite was consumed! I found it so enlightening that I had to share it! This was the first leg on a new journey of learning more about myself and realizing that I could work in a position that was meaningful to me, not perfect but purposeful to me - it could actually exist.
So, after I had this ah-ha moment and started a role that energized me and fired me up instead of sucking the life out of me, the organization I was working for was a bit stifling, OK, very stifling! I felt very little autonomy over my work, which doesn’t work well for most people including me. Workplace culture can be detrimental to our creativity, innovative ideas, and ability to thrive.
There was little to no effort put into creating a great workplace culture, but more effort put into creating a rigid, authoritative one. It wasn’t horrible, but I knew it could be so much better and I wanted to work for an organization where I felt empowered to create my best work. I began to wonder, are there workplaces out there which care about people too or is it only about making money?
The journey continued...
And this led me to DH, where I no longer dread Mondays and feel free to create within a people-loving company! I do feel like I should add a disclaimer I am not saying quit your job; just sharing my story for hating Monday and my journey since. No, every day at DH is not perfect, nor is it filled with rainbows and unicorns! But, I do look forward to going to work on a Monday, feel purpose in my tasks, and I finally have the freedom to be myself with a sense of control over my day-to-day. Yes, sign me up, please!
As I reflect back to the journey that brought me here, the one thing that stands out to me through all of this is the role that culture played in all of the above scenarios. I couldn’t look past the poor workplace culture even when the role was a perfect fit. I had to find another job with an organization that valued people in their culture.
If you are an Executive with the decision making power to change your culture, can I ask two more questions?
1. How are you creating a culture to keep your best talent from quitting while attracting the right new talent to fill the gaps?
2. And, how are you planning to mesh the new talent with the old in a way that keeps the intended culture moving forward?
You can create a culture where employees want to bring their best selves and produce their best work every day!
Here are two steps to help you get started doing just that:
Whether you are the CEO or the intern, it’s time for us to all stop hating Mondays and start creating our best work every day in a happier workplace culture! It does exist and we can help you achieve it.
What’s your workplace story? I would love to hear about your journey in the comments below!
How can you avoid creating a toxic or unhappy workplace? Discover more with our webinar on toxic cultures!
