Don’t fight the current in your career!

Don’t fight the current, but you also don’t have to just go with the flow either!

Sometimes our careers can go smoothly or we can have a rough time of it, maybe because of a change in leadership or because of challenging market conditions etc. But also sometimes when we are trying to implement new technologies or processes and we may find that there are many roadblocks in our way, such as company culture or people who are not receptive of this change.

Sometimes it feels like we are fighting a huge current, trying to swim up river and of course that can be very tough and mentally challenging at the time.

Like salmon, if we were to constantly face strong currents, trying to swim upstream all the time, we would eventually run out of steam and have to either completely stop and give up or it may even cause us to change our jobs.

I always feel sorry, when I have been on trips to Scotland during the late autumn months and seen all the salmon swimming up river, constantly fighting against the current, trying over and over again to jump up a waterfall and not succeeding many times over, it’s an amazing sight to see with your own eyes, listening to the great roar of the river with incredible Scottish scenery around you.

About 90 to 95% of all Atlantic salmon die after spawning has taken place. It’s a one way ticket with no return.

These incredible creatures expend so much energy on returning home, combined with their inability to tolerate fresh water for long periods, results in them rapidly degrading once they’ve laid and fertilized their eggs. You can see hundreds of salmon bodies floating or dying in the river and of course this is all part of nature.

But back to us and our careers ??

It was watching these salmon fight up these rivers, that made me think of the connection to people in their careers and sometimes how we have to face tremendous challenges like salmon and have to fight against the current in our organizations.

Now these salmon don’t just constantly keep swimming up river, they will find quiet pools to rest and recuperate their energy and then they would go at it again, it's not a constant struggle upstream.

And like when we face a challenge in our own career rather than trying to constantly fight against a powerful current, which could be a boss telling you no I don’t want you to do it that way, I want you to do it this way etc.

Or maybe you’re not getting buy-in from other people in the company, even though you truly believe this is a great idea that will add massive value to the business…

You’ll have to find a way to work smart, to take breaks and recover your energy before you begin again fighting against the current.?

And one way of making the process more easier and more manageable is of course to get support from other people.

You could talk to somebody who has more experience about a similar situation than you, perhaps someone you know in the market who works in the same kind of role as you and has some ideas of how you could face these challenges based on their experiences.

You have to consider the resources you need in order to support the process, or maybe create a project team and try to involve other people, because of course there’s always strength in numbers, rather than you just trying to fight for something by yourself.

But it could be as simple as taking some time off and taking a break just to slow down. Maybe it could be going for a walk around the block where you live or work, or in the middle of the day practicing some yoga or meditation to calm your mind down and to recuperate your energy.

We are always going to have some kind of challenge in our careers, the question is not only how do you fight for your career survival but also how you approach the process in a manner that is less taxing on your mind and even your body and soul.

We know that stress kills, and I would hate to see us ending up like the salmon in the Scottish rivers ??

There will be occasions however which is very different to the salmon, that you will sometimes have to simply go with the flow rather than push against it. So what does that mean?

That could be your idea doesn’t exactly work the way you want it to. And maybe you have to make adjustments in order for this idea to fit into the business strategy?

What’s important is before you begin a difficult project, that you gather feedback from various people in your organization that you respect and ask them questions about what they think of your idea or the project you’re trying to implement and ask them what they would do or just get general advice on how you could move forward.

This feedback may make you want to consider your approach, maybe adjust your idea a little bit in order for it to get better buy-in etc. It’s important to calculate potential roadblocks before you actually face them. It’s kind of like golfers who go around the golf course before the actual match, looking at where the bunkers are, looking at the green, considering maybe trees that might be in the way of play etc. So when they play the game, they are more likely to take the right shots for that particular golf course.

When you can preempt challenges before they happen, you’re able as you move forward to take appropriate steps on how you going to confront them.

Challenges we face in our jobs don’t have to be as tough as we think, we don’t have to keep swimming into a powerful current until we tire out or give up, with a little bit of thought we can get through it.

So when you’re facing a particular challenge in your job give yourself time to approach the situation, start by writing down what you want to achieve and confirm the value that you believe will be received from this process.

It’s important for you to understand this value and truly believe in the value, because it’s this value which will help drive you forward even when times get tough. Make sure you occasionally review what you have written down, remind yourself of what you looking to achieve as this will give you the motivation to keep going when things get tough.

And write down a list of potential challenges & roadblocks and start to think of how you will face these potential problems before you actually begin this project.

Writing things down this way will not only strengthen your commitment to succeed, but also help you have more structure to the process and then mentally things will seem a lot more easier.

I want to leave you with a link to a short video showing the Scottish salmon fighting up these powerful currents and trying time and time again to jump these waterfalls, nature is so wonderful and we can learn so much from it as well ??

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJKbQXs0zsQ

I am always open to chat if you are struggling in your career or need someone to talk to as well ??