Under the current world conditions, whether political or personal, many people are feeling overwhelmed, upset, afraid, confused, disappointed, aggravated, exhausted and much more. Positively, people are also having successes every day, such as performing at a high level of efficiency, developing new skills and using innate talent and education to do their jobs at a degree far above what is required of them.
Unfortunately, many of these experiences are going unnoticed and without due recognition. So how does this affect us?
Individuals within a company or corporation working together are making personal choices that either improve their lives or send them deeper into despair. This dichotomy lives in every business. The success of the company, the product and its marketing and business development sells its image and the customer subtly notices, by buying more or less.
Human resources, employee services and training programs do what they can. Some are proactive, while others have created further turmoil in an environment of distrust. What effect does this have on management, the various teams and every member of the company or organization?
One individual in an international corporation once told me, “I am trying to survive in an insane environment.” She was referring to her professional job where her 25 years of loyalty were no longer about using her expertise to its fullest in regard to her colleagues or company clients. “My work is about staying sane because there is too much pressure every day for nothing,” she said. “I do not dare speak out about the real problems, especially with HR. There is no form of trust or safety.”
As an educator and professional coach for three decades, I have witnessed many individuals ranging from CEOs and upper management to first-year interns and students work hard through their issues with strength and courage by simply transferring their focus to what they do best to survive, thrive or move on.
Are you able to do this? Start by asking yourself: am I a critical thinker? Are my thoughts clear, unbiased, open-minded, rational and informed with personal education, experience and evidence? Do I get swayed by what someone tells me, the media or fear of the worst things that could happen? Do I truly feel good about my life, family, friends and the possibility for cooperation among those who make a difference? If these ideas pertain to you then you are quite normal.
If you look beyond the obvious you will find yourself reflected in every experience. You can’t always control your personal circumstances. However, you can find lifelong learning achievements throughout your life. If you take a chance and lose you will have another opportunity, so don’t close yourself off to your own integrity.
Avoid a personal shut down at all costs and look back at what you have accomplished over the course of your career – add it up. The result is what you have always known about yourself, but didn’t necessarily give lasting credibility to. The world has immense criticism about everything, beware and listen to your strengths.
Many companies are innovative and will support your enthusiasm. If you are not this lucky, then create the continued education of your talent in your own life and share it in your work, and with family and friends. And don’t forget that you can make choices. They must be real and practical, grounded in outcomes that you own and live every day.
You may need an outside source to guide you through your process; remember challenging issues grow out of the overwhelming psychological effect of today’s environment. We are social beings and the good news is that you and others still want to contribute and bring about change for a better world.
Ghaile Windeck is an international coaching specialist at Advantage Learning Solutions LLC in Vancouver. She can be reached at 503.754.4151 or g.windeck@gmail.com.
