Is it really a “Great Resignation” or is it more a result of the Great Awakening?

You only have to watch a few minutes of virtually any media report or scroll through your preferred social media channel to see people all over the US talking about the Great Resignation; people talking about how they are tired of working hard for companies who have delivered a consistent message that all employees are replaceable; people talking about how they are tired of working hard to make the elite ruling class of American get wealthier while the employees themselves are only struggling more due to the pandemic, inflation, and the inability of our bipartisan government to come together to support their constituents.

In the last decade, HR professionals and experts have talked about employee engagement on a never-ending loop but why are we still seeing so much discontent? A recent Gallup article explores the concept of the Great Resignation really being the Great Discontent. This statement is really powerful and completely accurate.

The pandemic changed the way people work and how they view work. Many are reflecting on what a quality job feels like, and nearly half are willing to quit to find one. Reversing the tide in an organization requires managers who care, who engage, and who give workers a sense of purpose, inspiration and motivation to perform. Such managers give people reason to stay.

While this isn’t a novel or new concept it seems to need to be said again, people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers.

While 10 or 20 years ago managers could be micromanaging, function from a place of distrust, and continually expect more from people with nothing in return – that management style is no longer be successful over the long term. Hire good people and foster their talents. Trust them to do what you hired them to do and understand their successes (and failures) will always reflect on you.

Another Year and Where Are We

I’ve not posted anything to this page in almost a year. To be honest, there are so many things I want to say but I’m afraid to say them. Am I the only one who feels like 2021 wasn’t any easier than 2020? I can’t count how many times I thought in 2020 – “I’m so over this year. It can’t be over soon enough” only to wander into a new version of the unrest I felt last year.

I have fundamentally…at my very core…changed in the past 24 months more than I’ve ever changed in my life. The things that are important to me have changed. The things I will tolerate have changed. I feel like I’m looking at the world and those around me without blinders for the first time in my life. I also feel what a friend beautifully labeled a “collective awakening” around me, so many people I know are going through this fundamental change in their lives and breaking generational traumas.

This year has been the year where I’m learning what I will no longer bring or allow in my life. I’ve learned boundaries and how I want to have firm, yet loving boundaries. I’ve also learned those who don’t respect my boundaries have benefited the most from my lack of them.

This year has been hard.

As I embark on the year that will make my half century in this life, I’m just finally coming to terms with what I want out of this life and the feelings of that realization are so mixed. On one hand it feels good to know where I want to go but on the other hand, I feel like I’ve wasted so much time pursuing all the wrong things and people that bring nothing to my life.

Are you experiencing these same feelings this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

2020 Looking Back and Looking Forward

I think that we can all agree that 2020 was painful. Last January I had a host of plans of things to do and experience in the New Year and they quickly came of a halt in March. Things that seemed so important to me in the early months of 2020 became trivial as the weeks passed and COVID-19 became a full blown pandemic across the globe.

Warning

I believe the science that confirms COVID-19 is a real thing. I support wearing a mask, social distancing, and am pro-vaccine. I believe the 2020 election – just as the 2014 election – was decided fairly and based on American democracy. If you do not share these ideals or beliefs, my content is likely not for you and that’s okay. I bid you farewell and wish you well. I will not tolerate trolls. If you incite arguments, treat me or others that share these ideals or beliefs, you will be blocked, reported, etc.

Once the pandemic blew up, many of my 2020 goals felt trivial. The content I was creating felt superficial. People were getting sick, they were losing their jobs, their homes, and more. Teachers were struggling to perform their roles based on demands from administrators, hear conflicting opinions and beliefs of parents, and try to give kids a modicum of normalcy. Everyone was struggling in one way or another and frustrations were running high on all fronts.

So how did my 2020 Goals fare?

I was so fortunate with regards to work and finances in 2020. My “day job” has been a remote/work from home job for 3 years so I experienced very few bumps. My consulting work also seemed to get busier. I believe this was only because I have spent most of the year at home and thus, had the time and inclination to take on consulting work. This allowed me to pay more than double of my goal toward my debt.

#Project3000 is still a work in progress. It wasn’t completed. Donate options were limited for many months which led me to purge less. I purged just 307 items from my home which leaves me with still almost 2,000 items to remove to achieve this goals.

I learned this year that I’m much better at working out when I go to a destination. Actually going to the gym or the yoga studio made me better at keeping a workout routine. This goal was a bust for 2020. It’ll stay on the list for 2021 with the other missed goals of 2020.

Hiking new trails didn’t happen either. First of all, travel was non-existent and I didn’t want to wear a mask hiking. Another one to move to the 2021 list.

Recycling more was something that I’m going to call a win. I’ve made a number of eco-friendly buying choices this year which has reduced my overall consumption such as switching to bar soap, shampoo, and conditioner and finding health & beauty products in eco-friendly packaging.

Looking forward, I’ll be moving many of my goals to the new year in hopes that 2021 will bring back many of the things that we’ve not been able to do this year. Here’s to making it a good one!