How often do you think??

As professionals we tend to focus on delivery. Execution, getting things done. Right?

Execution is key for employees across performance levels, especially in the entry to mid-level years into the profession.

Since a lot many years are spent in acing this craft of execution and delivery, especially when its highly functional roles, our thinking habits are also designed to find ways of executing things and problem solve when something comes in the way of “getting things done”. This, even when we move up in the corporate chain and don the roles of people leaders and business heads.

Broadly outlined here, these are the key resources an employee brings into the organization: Technical Skills, Expertise, Experience, Time and Intellect (all facets of intellect)

?A constant and common theme I hear experiences of “burn-out”. I had my share of that. So why do we feel this way?

We can account for what we have been doing, primarily tasks, may be in a certain order per the system, per your job description or may be as per team’s weekly task goals predefined by someone. Finishing task like an expert is the trait of an execution specialist.

Growth in any area requires a gameplan, strategy, skills and execution. ?For this, one requires mind to think. To think, your view on the goal must be very clear.

When working on a shared goal such as that of the organization, as professional we tend to be execution specialists irrespective of the job title. When you are “execution heavy”, it is doubtful if you have time to see anything beyond your day-to-day tasks (office or elsewhere).

?Let me share a little bit of myself here, yes, I might be baring myself out here, but if this gives any ideas of reflection and that of detouring your current professional lifestyle, my objective is met.

I have a personality element of an “achiever” which means that I need to feel a sense of achievement every single day and I truly enjoy fulfillment of completing my tasks (home or office). Later, to my dismay, I soon realized that this was not taking me anywhere and even marking my downward journey as well.

Executing things at speed was the ask of the hour (from my perspective at work) and as it happened I embarked more into the high growth journey, while the list of the tasks never got over. Adhoc and unplanned mandates poured in, teams being still built, I was doing multiple mandates single handedly at a certain point and trying to be frugal in how and where we spend money on as an organization.

However, I dreamed an utopian world of talent acquisition and candidate experience. I even had created a great vision board for my career and my team which I was so determined to achieve in due course.

Alas,?my great plans were just there, unexecuted, as the day to day transactional work stole my time. I did pay my price, with mounting stress, confusion, prioritization paralysis and unclear decision making. Not to add the fact that my mind was always so occupied of things to “achieve”. I had setbacks in my no doubt, I was not happy with the way my life was progressing.

My son, my spouse, my boss, and then my doctor to showed me the mirror...…you see the drift right!! You see, I was in somewhat of a mess and it didn't look good in long run. I took the message seriously and so badly wanted to break off the chain that weighed my spirit down every day.

I share here what worked and is still working for me in my attempt to move away from only execution mode of working:?

Having a routine:

While many have talked of time management, it is not an easy cookie. It is one of the most difficult self-mastery skills one needs to build over time. I am still learning.

Even when you have a strong “why”, we being creatures of habit, and high resistance to anything new, falling in line to a routine is not always easy every day.

Everyone has a unique way of operating.

Having a set routine helps me to be focused on what I needed to accomplish in that day (not more than 3). Earlier, I used to go as spontaneous as I could with domestic chores, I used to take on ad hoc tasks and activities at work, that ate out of my 24 hours quota. I would crave to work on my fantastic visions that I had designed, only to realize, all I wanted end of day was to shut down and shut up.

However, when I started following a routine, things were much easier to accomplish, planned, predictable. I still have that time to sit back and make mind work on things I really wanted to build, write and work on.

Saying NO

If you are hard pressed for time and embroiling so much in day-to-day task, don’t take additional assignment or commitments. Be it volunteering, or that meeting that is the last priority for you. Sometimes you just got to say NO, for your own good.

I had this sense of “responsibility” on anything and everything related to any aspect in my role. Be it team, candidates, hiring leaders, business outcome related to my domain. It was a dangerously skewed view of “accountability” and “ownership” and I realize I have been taken for granted as well with that. :(

This also may have caused me to stepover someone’s else area of responsibility. :(

I started to learn to detach from what "I" perceived to be my sole responsibility and began to the process of opening up to ideas on managing myself better. I started to really lean in and focus on where I truly could do some work of value by saying “no” to being available to everything and everyone (home or office).

It was hard initially, but when I was able to spend time on planning the next step, thinking about current state of profession, I could see a sense of truth.?

This simple act of saying no to things that are way down your list of priorities, helps get that thinking started, helping break down your big goal so you can take the first step.

Go Off Grid:

It helps to just switch off all gadgets, tv, phones, laptop and close that book, at least once in a while.

Go to a silent zone, where you are detached from the web of information consumption. This will help you clear your mind, helps you become silent and think enough to make those important decisions, plan your strategy.

Going for a quite walk alone, that run or just walking barefoot on the grass can also help in a similar manner and help you go inward and break that cycle of being in execution mode. This paves for quality execution when you are back.?

Like your current job role, your career growth also requires your mind-space. If you need to do quality work, your intellect also needs to deliver quality strategy and plans for you to be able to execute. If you are highly task oriented, in due course your overall performance will falter, since you end up being “typical” than “extraordinary”.

The Extra Ordinary often happens by thinking and strategy building which requires time. Followed by planned execution.

Write down the thoughts:

It is crazy how most unexpected activities can give you some terrific ideas: it could be in the shower, on the walk, listening to a song or playing with your child or grooming your pet or when u are lying awake doing “nothing”.

In such scenarios, one practice that is helping me is writing down these "brainwaves". This helps me not to forget that great idea about customer experience, or the product niche or the quote I so wanted to write or just rephrasing a sentence with a suitable word in my blog. Sometimes much deeper though.

Journaling is also said to be therapeutic. Writing down the thoughts allows the mind to eject those jumbled mumblings and doodles we do. Over many days of journaling, clarity of thoughts is expected to be developed. I am still journaling…. yet to reach that “nirvana”.:)

Journaling also calms the mind with release of emotions attached to the idea, thought, self-talk or despair.?

So start writing your thoughts towards freedom from a confused mind.

Be selfish about your time:?

Time is also a resource that you expend with your employer. It is also a resource of your life that is finite and non renewable. How you use your time is what will matter in your growth story. There is no end to the tasks that we can go on finishing but doing that also requires time.?

So if you are feeling stuck, burnt-out, anxious that you are not growing in your career ladder, may be its time to review the situation and get out of the rut, before you get embroiled to it and become that hamster on the wheel.?

If career growth is what you are aspiring for, yet it has eluded you, somewhere, you have not been able to showcase your suitability and readiness to move into next level completely and to the right audience.

Taking time to think, take calculated risks and actions will help you improve yourself and set you on the path of growth.

?I am a talent acquisition expert and a career coach building my practice. I write about the topics closest to my mind, be it candidate experience, recruitment, future of Talent acquisition, or about my professional experience.

If you liked what you read, do connect with me and let me know your thoughts!

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