Move Your Desk

Let's take some time to honor your past experience for a minute.

Your past can be a great place to get clues to what you do well, what you don't, and what kind of work you might want to pursue in the future.

I like to draw a chart and start filling it in toward discovering trends and gaps.

Here's a simple framework you can use to take a look at your past experience:

1 - Draw 4-5 columns on a piece of paper.

2 - Label the columns - Experience, Strengths, Weaknesses, Likes, Dislikes, Other.

3 - Start from when you were young and consider jobs, interests, school or work projects, volunteer experiences. Write them all down in the first column boxes. Try writing down at least 20.

4 - Identify the strengths and weaknesses of that experience. Write down comments in row next to the experience.

5 - Identify what you liked and disliked. You may find you dislike some things you are good at and like some things you aren't yet skilled in. That's ok. You get to decide what you want to do with that information.

6 - Write down any other information in the "Other" column.

Look at how much you've experienced!

What have you learned about yourself? Did you unearth something that you forgot that you'd love to pursue?

This is just part of the journey to offering up your best work. Looking to the past to honor what you find out. Using that information as you step forward into the future work that you are meant to offer up.

Being helpful sounds like a great attribute, especially at work.

But, it's surprising how often we decide not to be helpful or not accept others help. Or, judge help from one as less significant than what someone else offers.

I'm practicing being more helpful in my work. Accepting opportunities that are different than I imagined myself doing. Doing things that could be thought of as "above my pay grade," or more often "below my pay grade."

It's worth paying attention to why you help, when you help, and how you help.

Are you helpful?

Our work preferences matter.

Some of us spend so much time accommodating the working needs of others that we neglect to notice or extend that same accommodation to ourselves.

Others, spend so much time accommodating themselves (sometimes at the expense of others) that they don't realize others aren't offering up their best work.

I have a framework that helps you go through a personal reflection exercise to figure out your quirks, your preferences, and your personal needs when it comes to performing at your peak.

I offer a few questions and stories in this episode, but you can download the Personal Performance Factors Framework in the show notes of this episode at https://www.moveyourdesk.com

It's getting ugly out there.

All the judgements. All the dis-empowerment. All of the de-valuing and dis-regarding.

And, I'm just talking about your work.

One of the biggest thoughts coming up in my discussions with leaders, employees, and business owners - "They don't think my work, my contribution, my pursuit ... is legitimate."

What is legitimate? Who thinks they get to decide what legitimate is?

Have you looked up the definition of legitimate lately?

It may surprise you.

If you want to offer up your best work, you may have to be equal parts legitimate and illegitimate.

Take a look at yourself. All of us have played our roles on both sides of this equation - dishing out the comments and the eye rolls to what work someone is doing (or not doing) and the the role of recipient of the behaviors and comments.

It's time to stop it. It's time to be wrong about how you jump to conclusions about legitimacy, validity, and credibility.

It's time to stop the disdain from something different than what you understand.

Opportunities await for the illegitimate.

https://pod.co/move-your-desk/episode-96-the-disdain-of-the-illegitimate

#moveyourdesk #disdain #legitimatework #legitimateideas #credibility #validity

It's easy to see our own point of view.

Think about any day-to-day situation in life and work and it will be pretty easy for you to share what you think about.

But, sometimes easy means that we are default thinking - leaning on our long held beliefs or judgements.

It's worth taking a minute to walk in someone else's shoes. You may be surprised at how the situation can look completely different. Or, at least allows us to pause and perhaps have new empathy.

In thinking about this topic recently, I came across a poem that inspired the phrase "walking in the moccasins." I read it in this episode, a beautiful reminder that it's worth getting out of our own shoes and experiencing another's journey through their eyes (or shoes).

When I came home from college, my little brothers were a little older and had lots of questions for me.

They would shout out, or say, "Hey Becca" and would go on to ask a question, share information, or try to capture my attention.

I love hearing "Hey Becca" and I've decided to use it as a way for you to send me your insights and questions.

Go take a peek at the Move Your Desk website an click the button to submit a brief audio message.

I'll respond to every message through a post, a YouTube video or a podcast episode. You may even want to come on and share or ask more. You have answers I don't have and I want to share those with anyone offering up their best work too.

I look forward to connecting with you.

How do you like your boss?

Are they undeserving of their position? incompetent? self-serving?

Do they see the value you add to the organization or team?

Like it or not, they get the "boss" title. And, you report to them.

Studies apparently show that most people don't leave an organization, the work, or the team. They leave the boss.

But, what if working with a difficult boss is the best thing for your personal growth and career?

What if this is a chance to help your boss be a better boss?

You can't directly change him or her.

You can, however, change yourself - your mind, your actions, and your outcomes.

In this episode I talk about how you can help your boss and do other things you might not want to do, especially if you are ready to leave them.

The Move Your Desk podcast is available through all major podcasting services.

Swearing is all around us. Most of us express our anger, discontent, funny interactions, and other life and work moments infused with a few colorful words that can further provoke ... or illicit laughter.

Except, that some of us don't swear. It's just not our thing.

I'm not here to tell you whether it is right or wrong, but I did want to share a few small experiences that taught me that the underlying judgements about it can often prevent us from truly listening and learning from those that have a different communication approach than our own.

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking others need to change.

Your boss, your spouse, or your co-worker, the slow guy driving in the fast lane.

After all, if only they would change to behave in ways that we think are common sense and appropriate, we wouldn't be so irritated, critical, or tired out from ... pointing out their weaknesses.

I re-read a book this week that re-inspired me to always take a look at myself when I start pointing the finger at others. Why? Because it's a signal to me that there is something going on in my heart that could be off.

Tune in to hear me share a few thoughts from The Anatomy of Peace, a book that will inspire you to work on rooting out the self-betraying ways of the heart and show up in a way that demonstrates you are at peace with yourself and can offer that to others.

Is it your time to take the next step in your work - leaving college and stepping into the work world, upleveling in your career, becoming an entrepreneur?

I'm here to help you on your journey. I don't have all the answers, but I can help you discover them.

Take the first step to connect at https://learn.moveyourdesk.com/

This episode was recorded BEFORE Christmas and is coming out AFTER Christmas.

Just because...

Still, isn't it always good to take a moment to reflect on good gift giving?

Tiny Person had a tooth incident in December and it reminded me of why I have so many phobias and concerns related to teeth. But, it also reminded me of a time when all I wanted for Christmas "was my two front teeth" and ...I got them.