Finding The Rhythm of Work

*Sharing a post from the archives…

I was on my way to work and thinking about how I get some of my best post ideas while driving.  The other day I was thinking about the rhythm of driving.  When you drive somewhere, you really have to figure out the rhythm of the traffic around you to get there most efficiently and effectively.  It’s about how you as a driver fit in with the people around you.  And, if you don’t, you might pass them, slow down, or move over a lane to the right or the left.  Work is not really different than that.

When you get to work, you need to figure out the rhythm of the workplace and whether or not you fit in.  And if you don’t, it’s a tell tale sign, a red flag, even in this economy.  People may have felt like they had to remain in a workplace where they don’t fit in with the rhythm but we’re starting to see that change a little.  It’s ok to still be out there looking for opportunities so that you can find a workplace that has the rhythm that you need in order to be successful if you don’t fit in with the rhythm and flow of your current organization.

If you are someone who is happy at organization, the challenge becomes how can you influence the behavior of others to increase the chance that they are fitting with the flow if they are not.  This comes up more and more often as people take on greater workload and they get burned out.  I”m hearing from managers that they are struggling with what to do when you have someone on your staff that has lost that spark, that passion, that fire.  How do you get that back  and have them fit into the work-flow so they are productive?    It goes beyond what you can do to motivate them though.  It is a lot about their self-motivation, so you need to focus on what you can do to provide an environment where that will flourish.

If you are in HR advising the leader, or if you are the leader, I’d like to hear in the comments what you do to help re-ignite that passion and help that employee fit into the rhythm of work.  If they are a good employee, what can we do to get them back into the work-flow? Thanks for your thoughts.