Welcome to the New Manager Podcast.
I'm your host, Kim Nichol. Hello and welcome.
I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well.
Last week I posted a story on LinkedIn and it's gotten a lot
of attention, so I wanted to share it with you in case you
don't follow me there. And it's a good story.
There's a couple of layers of lessons in this one and so
that's what we're going to talk about today.
So the context is this. Back in 2018 I got a new phone
and I tend to hold on to my technology for a long time.
I am not what you would call an early adopter.
I'm much more of the person who hey, if it if it works, let's
just keep using it until it's all used up.
So if it still works, I'll hold on to it for a long time.
So I've had this phone for many years and over the years it had
started to show somewhere. I had dropped it from time to
time. The back of it was shattered,
but it wasn't a problem because they had a case and so the, you
know, you could see the cracks on the back of the case, but it
didn't really affect how I used it.
It was fine. And then maybe six or seven
months ago, I dropped it again and this time the front of the
case cracked and there was this very elaborate shatter mark from
the lower left hand corner all the way up to the upper right
hand corner. But you know, you know, it's
still worked. I could, I could still use it.
Sure. It kind of interfered with my
ability to see the screen clearly because now the screen
was broken, but it still worked. So you know, I'm going to keep
using it. And then you know, it was an
older phone and so the battery didn't really hold a charge so
well. But no problem.
I just always make sure it was charged or I would carry a
backup power bank with me in case I was someplace and I
needed a little extra charge. No problem.
Also, the memory was really full.
There was not a lot of room, but you know, no problem.
I just, I won't update all the apps, right?
Like every update takes more space.
I don't, I don't really need to update every app, right?
So I I had had this phone and I'm holding on to it.
And you might know, but there
have been some new phones released.
Apple recently released some new phones, and I thought, well,
shoot, maybe it's time to get a new phone.
And so finally I did. And I have to tell you, I was a
little bit torn because my other phone worked.
It had cracks on it, but wasn't a big deal.
It still worked. The battery life was really
compromised. But hey, I mean, not really a
problem. I can.
I can manage that. I can make it work.
And that's so much of A story that has served me very well in
many situations of my life and in my career.
I can make it work well. I got my new phone and I have to
tell you, it is so nice. It is so nice.
The front screen is so smooth. I can see everything so clearly
that the screen is also a little bit bigger and the battery life
is amazing and there's a lot more storage and things just
happen really fast. And it wasn't until I got this
new phone that I understood how much work it took to accommodate
the accumulated issues from my prior phone.
And I'm telling you this because it is so easy to just make do
with what you have and to let things add up to let those
little problems or challenges just accumulate.
And if you are a person who has had to make do and make things
work in your life, it is so easy to default to that perspective
in every situation. But what happens then is you'll
just try harder and you'll stay in situations that are okay but
maybe not great. And because it creeps up over
time, you don't notice how heavy things become.
This is exactly the time when a virtue becomes a hindrance.
It's when your strength, your resilience, your commitment to
working hard, your resourcefulness at making do
even with less than great situation, it will get in the
way. And it happens slowly and it
becomes a habit. And so This is why it becomes
really important from time to time.
You have to pause, take a step back and look at things with
fresh eyes. You want to look at your work.
You want to look at your life. You want to look at whatever it
is that is happening. You want to take a step back and
really reassess with fresh eyes what is really happening here
And ask yourself, is this still what you want?
Does this still work for you? Or are we now at a place where
things have changed or where you have changed?
Because when you're putting all of your energy into your coping
strategy, then we have less energy for our change strategy
or our exit strategy. And so the big lesson here is
just because you can make it work, it doesn't mean that you
have to. You always want to take that
step back to reassess. Has something changed when you
look at the situation and now is this still what you want?
It can be so tricky because when you have gotten good at keeping
something going, it is easy to feel so invested in it, right?
Like, oh, I've kept it going this long.
You know it. Why should I?
Why should I quit now? Or why should I give up now?
Or I've managed to make it work, so, you know, why should I?
Why should I change if I can still make it work?
Is it somehow better to continue to make it work?
And especially when it's something that happens
incrementally, it seems like, oh, it's not that big a deal.
It's just it's just this one small thing.
It's just this one small thing, but they do add up and it can
really drain you. So I'm telling you this because
I want you to have a moment where you also pause, take a
step back and take a look at the big picture.
Is it time for a change? And realize, too, that any
change can feel a little bit scary because it's new.
For as much as we, you know, might complain or lament the
challenges that we face when they are familiar, it is easier
to stay with the familiar thing because you've already developed
some strategies to deal with it and there's a sense of comfort
and safety when you have familiarity with it.
This is something that I often coach my clients on when they're
contemplating a change, either applying for a promotion or
going for a different job in another, you know, company or
going for a different job in a different part of the industry.
There's always that little twinge of fear, that little
flare up of anxiety, which is, well, what if I take this other
job or this other promotion? And what if it's worse?
Or what if I can't do it? Or what if I'm really not cut
out for it because I haven't done that before?
And when we consider the uncertainty of something new,
that can activate that anxiety and fear and have a staying in
the familiar thing. Because you know you're going to
have challenges either way, right?
But when we are faced with uncertainty, sometimes the
familiar challenge feels safer, feels less risky.
It's not. It just seems that way because
it's something that we already know about.
So this is something that I help my clients with all the time.
Is getting able to have a perspective to reassess and also
to get a clearer sense for themselves?
Are there other strengths that I have that are getting in the
way? Is there a story that I tell
about who I am and what I'm really good at that has served
me well in some situations, but perhaps not this one?
And helping you to learn how to really trust your own judgment,
your own intuition and your own decision making as you're making
decisions about your career, your work, your life.
And the sometimes the decisions that you'll have to make as a
leader and as a manager that you might then you know not have
someone to reassure you about. So you want to have a clear
sense what am I choosing and why and really trusting yourself and
your own judgment in that situation.
So that is what I wanted to share with you really quick note
this week. Lastly, I have this idea that I
wanted to invite you to. I'm really interested in hearing
from more of my listeners. I have been getting some
wonderful emails and LinkedIn messages from you who are
listening and telling me how you're using the podcast to help
you deal with work situations. And I want to invite you to have
a conversation with me about it. And we're going to then share
the conversation on the podcast to, you know, extend some of,
you know, some of the ideas. And some of the ways that I've
been hearing people are using the podcast have been really
inspiring. And I thought, you know what?
What if we just have a conversation and then share it
out a little bit. So I want to invite you to have
a conversation with me about that.
You'll find a link to apply in the show notes so you can get
started there. And if you want Oneonone
coaching to support you through the different challenges that
you're facing in your work in your life, then please get in
touch. I really believe that the more
effective you are in your work, the happier you will be in your
life. And the reverse is also true.
When things are going well in your life, work actually gets a
lot easier. And sometimes it's hard to know.
Like you know when you're when you're feeling distressed about
what's going on, it's hard to know, like, which end of that to
work on. So book a consultation with me.
Let's talk about where you're at, where you want to get to and
how I can help. You'll find a link to my
calendar in the show notes below.
All right, have a great week and I will talk to you next time.
When you're more effective at work, you're happier in your
life, And when you're happier in your life, you're more effective
at work. I can help.
Go to my website, kimnickel.com and sign up for a coaching
consult. It can get better.