I am always curious about how people around me approach their workdays. What obstacles do they encounter? How do they handle problems? How do their managers support them? How do they fill their days?

I am also always looking to understand if there are patterns and commonly used strategies.

What strikes me is when people accept unsatisfying, if not demoralising, situations. It’s often a matter of having too much to do, feeling that managers are not supportive, or a general unhappiness with the content of their job (examples are not conclusive).

This often comes with a way of thinking that things will eventually improve. Something will change and then the dissatisfaction will go away. And sometimes this is accompanied by a feeling of indifference.

Nothing changes if nothing changes

It’s a typical situation I encounter when people are on holiday. They say, “It doesn’t matter now. I’m off, and once I’m back, surely something must have changed.”

The truth is, nothing changes unless you make it happen. Nothing changes if there hasn’t been any commitment to actively change a given situation or any conversation around change. You need to make a clear request of what you expect and what you want to happen.

So often, people don’t look at how they can contribute to improving their own situation. A first step is to look at what’s in your own power. What do you have control of that you can change or improve?

Recognising that you don’t need to wait for external changes grants you a sense of agency. In the sense of: From problem to possibility.

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