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The Trouble with Work

  • Feb 22, 2008
This chapter is from the book ๏”€

This chapter is from the book

Four Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You WantFour Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want

Learn More ๎”€Buy

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book ๏”

Four Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You WantFour Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want

Learn More ๎”€Buy

Seeing Differently Through Models

As the old adage goes, if you don't like your situation, you have three options: Accept it, leave it, or change it. If you are reading this book, you have been "accepting" a poor situation for too long and are ready to try another option. But which one?

Change the Situation

Can you fix things where you are? Job dissatisfaction creates a vicious downward cycle leading to apathy and disengagement. As the adverse conditions pile on, the disgruntled worker retreats into a world of detachment and unhappiness. Many can't even put words around what the problems are. Others honestly would like to make things better but believe they can't or don't know where to beginโ€”and don't even try. Will anything work?

Leave the Situation

Can you find somewhere better? Perhaps the situation at your current job is beyond repair. Those of us seeking new employment would probably agree. But if more than three quarters of us say that things are better elsewhere,12 where is elsewhere? Can it be that the grass really is greener for me on your side, and vice-versa? How do we know what to look for?

First, Change Your Perspective

Are you being driven crazy at work by people who are pushy? Flaky? Lazy? Stupid? Consider a fourth option: Before "accepting them, changing them, or leaving them," try changing your perspective. This is the best first step before you make the other changes.

What if you're sure you need a new job? That's fine; the first step is still the same. By using new perspectives to see your current situation, you build skills that go with you to your next position and every position after that. More importantly, the skills help you with your job hunt!

There is no worse time to look for a new job than when you hate the one you have. The "Any Port in a Storm" syndrome makes even the worst option attractive. Your new perspectives will allow you instead to evaluate your options based on your needs and avoid making a change for the worse.

You've tried accepting it. Whatever you try nextโ€”changing it, leaving it, or just looking at it differently, the perspective change must come first. Otherwise, the actions you take might lead to a worse situation than you are in now.

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