Welcome to the New Manager Podcast. I'm your host, Kim Nichol. Hello and welcome. I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well. Last week I posted a story on LinkedIn and it's gotten a lot of attention, so I wanted to share it with you in case you don't follow me there. And it's a good story. There's a couple of layers of lessons in this one and so that's what we're going to talk about today.
So the context is this. Back in 2018 I got a new phone and I tend to hold on to my technology for a long time. I am not what you would call an early adopter. I'm much more of the person who hey, if it if it works, let's just keep using it until it's all used up. So if it still works, I'll hold on to it for a long time. So I've had this phone for many years and over the years it had started to show somewhere. I had dropped it from time to
time. The back of it was shattered, but it wasn't a problem because they had a case and so the, you know, you could see the cracks on the back of the case, but it didn't really affect how I used it. It was fine. And then maybe six or seven months ago, I dropped it again and this time the front of the case cracked and there was this very elaborate shatter mark from the lower left hand corner all the way up to the upper right hand corner. But you know, you know, it's
still worked. I could, I could still use it. Sure. It kind of interfered with my ability to see the screen clearly because now the screen was broken, but it still worked. So you know, I'm going to keep using it. And then you know, it was an older phone and so the battery didn't really hold a charge so well. But no problem. I just always make sure it was charged or I would carry a backup power bank with me in case I was someplace and I needed a little extra charge. No problem.
Also, the memory was really full. There was not a lot of room, but you know, no problem. I just, I won't update all the apps, right? Like every update takes more space. I don't, I don't really need to update every app, right? So I I had had this phone and I'm holding on to it. I'm holding on to it. And you might know, but there have been some new phones released. Apple recently released some new phones, and I thought, well, shoot, maybe it's time to get a new phone.
And so finally I did. And I have to tell you, I was a little bit torn because my other phone worked. It had cracks on it, but wasn't a big deal. It still worked. The battery life was really compromised. But hey, I mean, not really a problem. I can. I can manage that. I can make it work. And that's so much of A story that has served me very well in many situations of my life and in my career. I can make it work well. I got my new phone and I have to
tell you, it is so nice. It is so nice. The front screen is so smooth. I can see everything so clearly that the screen is also a little bit bigger and the battery life is amazing and there's a lot more storage and things just happen really fast. And it wasn't until I got this new phone that I understood how much work it took to accommodate the accumulated issues from my prior phone.
And I'm telling you this because it is so easy to just make do with what you have and to let things add up to let those little problems or challenges just accumulate. And if you are a person who has had to make do and make things work in your life, it is so easy to default to that perspective in every situation. But what happens then is you'll just try harder and you'll stay in situations that are okay but
maybe not great. And because it creeps up over time, you don't notice how heavy things become. This is exactly the time when a virtue becomes a hindrance. It's when your strength, your resilience, your commitment to working hard, your resourcefulness at making do even with less than great situation, it will get in the way. And it happens slowly and it becomes a habit. And so This is why it becomes really important from time to time.
You have to pause, take a step back and look at things with fresh eyes. You want to look at your work. You want to look at your life. You want to look at whatever it is that is happening. You want to take a step back and really reassess with fresh eyes what is really happening here And ask yourself, is this still what you want? Does this still work for you? Or are we now at a place where things have changed or where you have changed?
Because when you're putting all of your energy into your coping strategy, then we have less energy for our change strategy or our exit strategy. And so the big lesson here is just because you can make it work, it doesn't mean that you have to. You always want to take that step back to reassess. Has something changed when you look at the situation and now is this still what you want?
It can be so tricky because when you have gotten good at keeping something going, it is easy to feel so invested in it, right? Like, oh, I've kept it going this long. You know it. Why should I? Why should I quit now? Or why should I give up now? Or I've managed to make it work, so, you know, why should I? Why should I change if I can still make it work? Is it somehow better to continue to make it work?
And especially when it's something that happens incrementally, it seems like, oh, it's not that big a deal. It's just it's just this one small thing. It's just this one small thing, but they do add up and it can really drain you. So I'm telling you this because I want you to have a moment where you also pause, take a step back and take a look at the big picture. Is it time for a change? And realize, too, that any change can feel a little bit scary because it's new.
For as much as we, you know, might complain or lament the challenges that we face when they are familiar, it is easier to stay with the familiar thing because you've already developed some strategies to deal with it and there's a sense of comfort and safety when you have familiarity with it.
This is something that I often coach my clients on when they're contemplating a change, either applying for a promotion or going for a different job in another, you know, company or going for a different job in a different part of the industry. There's always that little twinge of fear, that little flare up of anxiety, which is, well, what if I take this other job or this other promotion? And what if it's worse?
Or what if I can't do it? Or what if I'm really not cut out for it because I haven't done that before? And when we consider the uncertainty of something new, that can activate that anxiety and fear and have a staying in the familiar thing. Because you know you're going to have challenges either way, right? But when we are faced with uncertainty, sometimes the familiar challenge feels safer, feels less risky.
It's not. It just seems that way because it's something that we already know about. So this is something that I help my clients with all the time. Is getting able to have a perspective to reassess and also to get a clearer sense for themselves? Are there other strengths that I have that are getting in the way? Is there a story that I tell about who I am and what I'm really good at that has served me well in some situations, but perhaps not this one?
And helping you to learn how to really trust your own judgment, your own intuition and your own decision making as you're making decisions about your career, your work, your life. And the sometimes the decisions that you'll have to make as a leader and as a manager that you might then you know not have someone to reassure you about. So you want to have a clear sense what am I choosing and why and really trusting yourself and your own judgment in that situation.
So that is what I wanted to share with you really quick note this week. Lastly, I have this idea that I wanted to invite you to. I'm really interested in hearing from more of my listeners. I have been getting some wonderful emails and LinkedIn messages from you who are listening and telling me how you're using the podcast to help
you deal with work situations. And I want to invite you to have a conversation with me about it. And we're going to then share the conversation on the podcast to, you know, extend some of, you know, some of the ideas. And some of the ways that I've been hearing people are using the podcast have been really inspiring. And I thought, you know what? What if we just have a conversation and then share it out a little bit. So I want to invite you to have a conversation with me about that.
You'll find a link to apply in the show notes so you can get started there. And if you want Oneonone coaching to support you through the different challenges that you're facing in your work in your life, then please get in touch. I really believe that the more effective you are in your work, the happier you will be in your life. And the reverse is also true. When things are going well in your life, work actually gets a lot easier. And sometimes it's hard to know.
Like you know when you're when you're feeling distressed about what's going on, it's hard to know, like, which end of that to work on. So book a consultation with me. Let's talk about where you're at, where you want to get to and how I can help. You'll find a link to my calendar in the show notes below. All right, have a great week and I will talk to you next time. When you're more effective at work, you're happier in your life, And when you're happier in your life, you're more effective
at work. I can help. Go to my website, kimnickel.com and sign up for a coaching consult. It can get better.