Carl wants to participate – honestly he does
“Oh, no,” Carl says to himself as an email from his boss slowly unfolds before his eyes. “Not another team building offsite!” Like a hungry ant craving a watermelon for lunch, Carl wonders how to digest this news. Blink. Blink. Blink. He stares at the light on his office phone, silently reminding himself that he has messages waiting. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
His smartphone gently vibrates on his desk, indicating another incoming call. Knock! Knock! Knock! A colleague, anxious for an answer to a question she has been seeking for days, impatiently makes her presence known at Carl’s closed office door. As the blink, buzz, and knock ricochet throughout his head, Carl feels as if he is going to burst. “This is my busiest quarter!” he silently decries. “I can’t afford to be out of the office!”
Obstacles to Participation
Business professionals across the globe are subjected to a daily barrage of urgent email, last minute requests, and unexpected phone calls. The phrase “Your poor planning is not my emergency” silently permeates relationships between otherwise well-meaning colleagues. Business professionals are so under-resourced and overwhelmed, they are likely suffering from PTSD. Not Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but professional traumatic stress disorder*, a condition affecting their ability to cope in complex organizations.
*A reminder that I am not a doctor, nor is this a real disorder (at least I don’t think so …)
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Raise Your Visibility & Value: Uncover the Lost Art of Connecting on the Job is available
in AUDIO FORMAT here on Amazon and iTunes
and in HARD COPY here on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
