5 Morning Minutes to Work Positive in a Short-Sighted World
Jul 16, 2023
Today’s anxious work environment makes it hard for you to see much further than your nose. It drives you to band-aid fixes for difficult work challenges.
How’s that working out for you?
Last week, I shared with you that Ed Friedman’s book, Generation to Generation, mentored my development as a positive work culture architect. His first positive work truth we talked about is to separate yourself from the anxiety at work.
His second positive work truth is to avoid short-sighted actions. That requires a commitment to goals beyond the horizons that everyone else sees.
In short, you play the long game.
“But Dr. Joey,” you’re thinking, “in a K-cup, Instacart work world, that’s impossible!”
Before you give up, take 5—5 Morning Minutes to Work Positive in a Short-Sighted World:
Look Within
“Commitment to goals” requires you to take 3 morning minutes and first look within yourself. Commitment is internal; a motivation that drives your positive work culture by certain core values and priorities regardless of the anxiety around you.
Think of your core values as your “Why?” and your priorities as your “What?” They anchor you regardless of the toxicity in the work culture. They emerge as your commitment to aligning personal and organizational goals. Such goals are the action plan that express your “Why?” and “What?”
Take 3 minutes each morning and look at your calendar. Look within and ask yourself, “What’s my commitment to this action?” Number it on a scale of 1-10.
That’s how you find your commitment to goals and work from your internal strength.
Look Way Out
You Work Positive next by looking way out, as Friedman puts it, “beyond the horizons.”
Anxiety at work pushes your head down. Your eyes focus on your feet. As in on where you’ve been. That’s a short-sighted attempt to find something to control; the classic “forest and trees” paradigm.
Look up and way out of the status quo (which literally means, “What a mess we’re in!”) Scan the horizons for what’s approaching, determine the best course headings, and set sail with commitment for the achievement of the next goal.
Take 1 minute in your morning activity review. Ask yourself, “How can I work vision-focused today?” Then look way out beyond the short-sighted quick fixes and shape a positive work culture.
Look Weird
As you look within and way out, you’re going to look weird.
It’s okay to look weird.
In fact, it’s the preferable path to a positive work culture.
All great positive work culture transformations start with one person who raises their hand, says “Enough already!” and risks looking weird.
I look for the weirdos any time I’m invited in to architect a positive work culture. They are my people! They avoid being like “everyone else” as Friedman puts it.
They see something different because they invested 3 minutes each morning to find their internal commitment to goals. They took 1 more minute to chart their vision-focused course for the day.
They refuse the herd mentality.
Yes, you’ll get side eye stares, experience quizzical expressions, and hear whispers as you enter and exit rooms. Receive them proudly as merit badges of weirdness.
Get your weird on each morning. Take 1 minute and ask yourself, “How can I look weird with some positive work culture action today?”
Look within and find your commitment.
Look way out and see beyond everyone’s horizon.
Look weird and create a positive work culture that increases productivity and profits today.
It only takes 5 Morning Minutes to Work Positive!
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