Wish people would just behave differently?
Anna Manning
Executive Confidence Coach | Corporate Trainer | Host of the "Confident At Work" Podcast
The Fantasy of “Perfect Colleagues”
Imagine a world where everyone acted just as we wanted - colleagues always did their fair share, managers provided crystal-clear instructions, and no one ever send you work last minute. Sounds ideal, doesn’t it?
But real life reality is rarely that neat.
Why Wishing Is a Trap
It's easy to wish people would behave differently, and even enjoy have those conversation surreptitiously with your work pals about how if only your senior leaders would stop being a blockage you could all just get on with your job?! Yes, this one is mine!
But when we start thinking, “If only they’d just do X,” we can end up waiting for them to make a change rather than taking some action ourselves.
Wishing people were different can end up draining your agency and your energy.
It’s easy to get stuck wishing you had “perfect” colleagues or leaders, who wouldn't - but who's actually got them? This is real life. Where people annoy you and do things which you dont want, and learning how to handle it is an overlooked, but vital workplace skill!
Shifting from Wishful Thinking to Action
And the skill comes from focusing back on what you can control.
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Once you shift the focus off their behaviour and back to you, you are back in the drivers seat ready to figure out how can you account for your boss's vague instructions, respond to your colleagues tendency to talk over everyone and your direct reports penchant for handing you work with minutes to spare!
You need all the energy you can get, so let's get you some back shall we?
Listen now:
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