Are You Carrying Assumed Habits?

Let’s talk about habits…

Some habits help us grow into our full potential as humans/workers, while others limit us or hold us back.

I think it’s a relatively simple exercise to analyze how habits impact our personal lives, but what about digging into the habits we assume in our work life?

For example, when I started my career at Arthur Andersen I brought my own habits into the melting pot of colleagues at 33 West Monroe in Chicago.?These habits served me well, helping me navigate school and personal life so I had the opportunity to start my career in a great organization.

But a funny thing happens when you jump on an established train that’s already hauling down the tracks with a bunch of habits of its own…

Assumed Habits

As my Andersen start class and I got acclimated to the “real world,” we picked up the habits of our managers and partners because we thought that’s what it took to move up.

We also picked up the habits of Arthur Andersen itself:

• The process by which we did business
• The cultural aspects of work (i.e. politics)
• The mindset of protecting/growing the value of the firm

I wasn’t as self-aware at the time, but in reflection I remember feeling fully in line with certain Andersen habits, but uncertain about others…

Then the Enron fraud happened, Andersen was dissolved, and it was the first time in my adult life I remember questioning why we did the things we did at work.

In hindsight, this new habit of questioning the status quo instead of accepting it by rote may be the habit that’s served me most in my career.

Evolving Your Habits

When I think about moving the needle towards a more fulfilled work life, it almost always boils down to making sure you are in a growth mindset/environment.

As humans we are always evolving and growing, so why would we accept legacy habits that hold us back just because they worked for us or someone else in the past??

When you feel your current work life getting cluttered down with legacy minded habits (those that serve the status quo) call a personal time out to assess and let go of habits that no longer serve you.

Ask yourself:

“Why do I do the things I do?”

“Are the narratives that got me where I am today going to serve me into the future?"

If you really want to get clarity on WHY the legacy habits in your current work environment exist, ponder the following:

“Why is the status quo so important to maintain?”?

And to really get you thinking…

“Who ultimately benefits from the status quo and what are their motivations?”

A Final Analogy

Back in the day, telephone poles, wires and house phones were needed to connect underdeveloped countries with the world.

Then someone launched a satellite and mailed cell phones to these countries….?

Now those who thrived pre-satellite launch are stuck with their legacy infrastructure (i.e. mindset/habits), which was once an enormous asset and is now a burden on their future growth.

Don’t be afraid to identify the telephone poles of your past and make peace with taking them down.

There are over 8,000 satellites orbiting earth at this moment just waiting for you to tune in...

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Roger Lumpp III?loves helping people find more fulfilling work, faster. He firmly believes WORKERS will gain more and more control over the conversation as we move into the “future of work” and shares his thoughts and observations of the rapidly evolving landscape through The Next Gig newsletter, speaking engagements, podcasts and anywhere else he's needed. Roger is a Top 100 Staffing Leader to Watch in 2023 Winner from The World Staffing Awards presented by?Candidate.ly.

Opinions expressed are my own, all rights reserved.