For My Entrepreneurs & Leaders Who Are Non-linear Thinkers…

But internally, something was missing. Day in and day out, I would go through the motions – wake up, get ready for work, scroll social media, have breakfast, leave home, sit in traffic, work, leave the office, sit in more traffic, workout (if I wasn’t exhausted), eat, watch tv, spend a little time with family, go to bed. Then do it all again.

There were many days where I wondered, “Is this it? Is this what we do? There’s got to be more to life and work than this. Where’s the fun? Where’s the joy? Is this ‘living’?”

(Enter “CoCo Vee”…mine and my buddy’s nickname for COVID.)

It definitely turned a lot of things upside down, but it also gave me some breathing room to reflect and assess a lot of things in my personal and professional life. For that, I’m thankful.

The biggest eye-opener being just how much I had been coasting – living on autopilot – without really questioning whether or not I was intentionally moving towards more joy. I realized that I had given my work and my life to some outdated metrics of “success.” And they no longer worked for me.

Over the past several months, I’ve seen many posts and heard people talk about “The Great Resignation,” where they are leaving organizations and communities in droves. Some by choice. Some by force.

As I talk to more leaders and business professionals, some are excited for what’s ahead. Others are still processing and having their “Oh sh*t…” moment.

Either way, congratulations.

Both groups are at pivot points – or in my world, Life Maximization points – where they can (or must) begin to carve out their path to something new.

What Does This Mean for Humanity?

Personally, I think The Great Resignation is just the beginning. I believe we’re in the initial stages of a much bigger transition — Humanity / Society 2.0. One where people are more intentionally redefining and realigning their measurements of success, their wellbeing, and their lives with more of their joy and their heart and souls’ true desires.

Human beings are longing for something different – something more – and part of it goes beyond money and benefits (although they are important). It’s the desire for more rest, more downtime, more exploration, more creativity, more self-discovery, more fun, more love, more joy, more care, more compassion, more purpose, more opportunities to do good in the world.

Many are willing to give up their security and stability and step out into the unknowns than to continue putting up with the same old crap. That says something. However, I question how many organizations and communities are really taking that in (maybe that’s my cynicism.)

That said, my wish is for business and community leaders to really give some attention to this shift especially if they want to continue to innovate, grow, and keep / attract great talent.

What Does This Mean for Organizations?

For leaders, here are some things to consider.             

1. Most of your people want to be a part of your team / organization. They just want to know that they matter and that their time, energy, and effort mean something. People don’t want to be seen as or made to feel like they are disposable. I’d like to think that most leaders don’t do it intentionally; however, because of the heavy focus on profits and performance, that dismissiveness / lack of consideration can come as a byproduct. Consider finding new ways to keep that in check.
2. How do you or your organization help people rediscover / connect more deeply to their purpose? How do you make joy and purpose a part of your business growth and talent acquisition strategy? Some of the best leaders / managers I had cared about the success of my projects and my growth within the company, but more so, they cared about me as a person and my success in life in general.

Spend a little time asking your team members about what they want to do and where they want to go. Sometimes, they don’t know or don’t know where to start and need a little guidance. Let them know you give a shit about their personhood. (Unless you don’t. In that case, the turnover rate on your team / in your organization might continue to increase. Who wants to work for a jerk?)

3. If there is a lot of turnover, follow the money. How much is it costing you? (It all has a ripple effect.)
   • How much to recruit?
   • How much to onboard?
   • How much to offboard?
   • How much to triage while you find their replacement?
   • How much knowledge just walked out the door?
   • How’s this impacting the team’s performance, morale, angst, and/or stress levels?
   • What other projects/initiatives are you unable to work on as a result of the people and/or money you  just lost?
4. Consider investing more time, energy, and money in clear career pathing. One of the most common complaints I get from clients who previously or currently work in corporate environments is that most don’t have a clear path for their growth and development.

Additionally, their managers don’t have the skills, bandwidth, and/or desire to help them figure it out. (Granted, managers / leaders have a lot on their plate. They can’t be fully responsible for the careers of their employees or direct reports. A good portion of that initiative and thinking needs to be on the individual.)

If you are interested and need a resource, check out the Life Maximizer Career Elevation Workbook I created to help you get started.

What Does This Mean for Individuals?

For the individual leaders and business professionals taking the leap into uncharted territory and paving a new path, here are some things to consider for your next chapter.

1. If you are like me, you might be thinking about you’re your legacy – your contribution – and itching to reconnect to a deeper level of pleasure, joy, and purpose. That can come through many different outlets. It could be through healing, art, dancing, road trips, moving to another country, volunteering, quality time with family, finding a more mission-driven / impact-focused company to work for, or starting your own gig. There’s no one right way. Where possible, give some space to your exploration.
2. As you make your transition, know that it’s likely to be nonlinear, so it’s important to cultivate flexibility in your mindset and approach to rediscovery.
3. At some point, people might ask you, “What are you doing? Why did you give up that good job or old life?” Know that your explanations may never make sense to them.

With that said, figure out how much explaining / justifying your feel like doing (if any at all). As you step deeper into the unknowns, it can be disorienting at times because you’re going against your old patterns or ways of living. So it can feel like “Danger! Danger!”

For many of those around you and who care about you, your decision to follow your own guidance goes against our survival instincts and can trigger people’s need and desire for security, stability, consistency. Although it might frustrate you that they just don’t get it. When that happens, try to remember that they just want to know everything is going to be okay. (Hell, even as I write this, I feel my own internal desire for you to be safe and make decisions that don’t create harm or chaos as you step into what’s next.)

4. Lastly, congratulations again. Paving your own path can be exciting and terrifying at the same time (two sides of the same coin). It also takes a lot of courage and (self) trust to go against the grain, listen to your own drum, and follow the beat!

As you move more towards your next level of joy and fulfillment, know that the clarity comes, but also know that parts of the self-led journey are messy. So, as much as possible, stay open to the growth and get support where you need it. You are creating the roadmap and the structure for your next big adventure.

If you’re unsure about how to do that and would like some help, that’s where I can support you and be a guide. If you’d like some one-on-one guidance, schedule your complimentary 45-minute Life Maximizer Discovery Call.

If you’re more of a Do-It-Yourself-er and you’d like to think about the journey on your own, download my free workbook: How to Get Optimal ROE (Return on Energy) as a Community & Business Leader (Note: once you click on the link, scroll down to the bottom of the homepage to get access to the document.)

Here’s to rediscovering more joy, fun, love, and ease as you take your next step!