I enjoyed a nice six day vacation to sunny Phoenix Arizona this past week. I always enjoy the opportunity to get away and reflect on my life, work and family. I am a very introspective person and have a high need for clarity of purpose.
During one of my introspective mornings, I happened across a great article in Experience Life magazine. The article focuses on self-esteem, yet has a strong message for us in our work life.
One of the suggestions was to Practice Self-Assertiveness. “To practice self-assertivenes is to live authentically, to speak and act from my innermost convictions and feelings-as a way of life, as a rule.”shares Branden. Here are some questions to ask yourself regrading your life work as it corresponds to your sense of self:
* Are you living out your “cause” in your work? You have to fight for this and live out your innermost convictions.
* Is your organization creating the “space” for you to live out your cause in your work?
* Is your work the canvas for self-expression? The article shares that the best leaders express their passion in their work.
* Finally, do you allow yourself to bring who you are to work each day? Or are you the chameleon who simply fits in with no sense of cause?
The risk is great. If you are simply allowing others to dictate the tempo of your life, you will end up an angry, resentful and grouchy person with little impact on others. Those that you lead need you to live out your cause at work.