Have You Mentally Checked Out Of Your Career?

By Brian Maynor

For a lot of people their work has become so routine they can literally disengage mentally and coast through the day on autopilot, but is that really going to help you be your best?

Of course not. To be your best you have to be engaged in every moment, and break one of the pervasive career mantras of ‘don’t take it personally.’   How many times have you heard, or said: “It’s just business, not personal”? More times that you can count, I’m sure because it’s a defense mechanism to avoid feeling hurt, passed over, threatened or even challenged, but it is bad advice.

Here are some of the most compelling reasons why you should take it personally:

1.    You spend a lot of time at work. Let’s face the fact that we spend the bulk of our lives at work. Not only does it consume most of our days, it’s a source of identity, which is very personal. If you don’t take your career personally it’s like you’re sleepwalking through most of your life, allowing things to happen to you instead of creating opportunities.

2.   Success comes with engagement. When you look at business leaders or mentors who inspire you how many of them are disengaged? None of them. Successful leaders are always engaged in their work and take it very personally because they know that’s how to reach the next level. By fully engaging and having a personal connection to your work you will be more driven, dedicated and motivated to reach new goals and achievements.

The ethical connection. When people disengage personally from their time at work, it tends to give way to unethical behavior. You’re more tempted to cut corners, or absolve yourself of responsibility for bad behavior because, ‘it’s just work’. Just reading that you know it’s not true, so hold yourself to your personal standards because every action you take at work is personal and a reflection of your character.

Set proper boundaries. Just because you are personally invested in your job does not mean it defines you or should become how you value your self-worth. That’s taking personal responsibility to the opposite extreme. Without proper boundaries you can overwork or even damage your self-esteem with every setback or critique, which is an inevitable part of growing and learning.

Work is personal. It’s how we choose to spend the bulk of our time every day for years, so that means it is very personal and should be treated as such. The key is finding the perfect balance between personal engagement to motivate you to great accomplishments and still retain your independent self-worth away from your career. It may be a large part of your identity, but it shouldn’t be your sole identity.

I am always curious to hear from you and what you see in the workplace. Send your questions, comments and pet peeves to Brian@BrianMaynor.com. Also find each of these storyborads at http://brianmaynor.polyvore.com with links to purchase each item.