The sun beats through the window shades. Cuddled in your duvet, you pull the covers up, creating a shield against the impending draft. Your heart rate plateaus. Your breath has slowed. And then your memory gives you palpitations.
Did you miss your alarm?!!!
It is now 8:06. You’re supposed to be at the office at 8:30. A quick text to your boss, informing them that you’re stuck at the dentist office, not feeling well, or any number of excuses, in hopes of them telling you to take the day off, or come in when you can.
They don’t reply.
You dash through the doors and get to your desk in a frenzy. It’s 8:37. Surely, with all of the days you’ve put in overtime, all of the calls and emails you’ve responded to while on holidays, and all of the work you’ve taken home for weekends or evenings will expunge any doubt in the mind of your superior, towards your level of dedication to the job.
And yet- they call you out.
“(Checks watch, sighs…) You’re late. What gave you the impression that it’s ok to not show respect for company time? Will this be a problem, moving forward?”
No words. No rebuttals or explanations. You accept the blame, and persevere, wishing the day would end, before it’s even begun, so that you could redeem yourself by being early tomorrow.
You and a colleague work in tandem, driving a sales pipeline, and yet- you question their dedication. Your income depends heavily on the success of the team, and yet- the other member of your team is half-assing everything. They’re not as invested as you are. They don’t know when to cut dead weight loose, when to refocus their monthly plan, when to be detail oriented and when to be a big picture thinker. They hold you accountable, and yet- they aren’t holding themselves to equal standards.
You want to say something, but can’t, in fear that they’ll construe this as going behind their back. Also, you know they’ll make things very uncomfortable for you, moving forward, should you decide to address concerns to a superior. You need this job. You don’t have the luxury of making unnecessary noise, disrupting the peaceful work environment.
There are things you want to do differently. You would suggest such things— and perhaps you already have, but without risk of being perceived as a problem, going against the company culture as a non-conforming troublemaker, you decide to tow the organizational line.
The very thing that you depend on to provide stability in your life, can be taken away from you with haste and utter disregard for your feelings, tenure, situation, or other pressures. And yet, you stress over it. Not only that, but a good amount of time during the week is consumed with the thought of your work, preparing for work, debriefing from work, and so forth.
Clock in, never clock out.
Apologize, never receive apologies.
Reprimanded, but never rewarded.
You take out a notepad and start writing down some notes. This, is the first step into planning your new life.
You deserve better. You can do better for others than was done for you.
You’re an entrepreneur. What’s your business plan?
by @MarkPavelich CEO The Mark Consulting & Marketing
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