I was in corporate healthcare for a long time.
After 17 years, I burned out and became a consultant in 2015.
And now I’m about to become an employee again.
It’s a fairly typical trajectory. But I’ve never transitioned back to the corporate world and now I’m about to do that very thing as the world is transitioning back to life. And it’s a little daunting!
As a leader, I’m always harvesting my lessons–especially during transition. I’ve written about moving beyond the cliches of team-building, the four agreements remastered for project management and seeking truth in leadership.
Build an Independent Tribe
Decades ago, communities were created less at work, more with extended family and church. Across the last 30 years, we started spending more time at work. And as a result, our coworkers have come to serve a much bigger role.
But it’s a mistake to connect your primary sources of support only to your job–one that could disappear at any time. We must build an independent tribe outside our primary employer.
After I left Children’s Hospital in 2015, I felt very alone. I knew that it was time to build a tribe–including an executive coach, a marketing strategist, a brand messaging specialist and a financial advisor. These professionals help me brainstorm. They listen to me vent. They offer support, creativity and a fresh perspective on all my endeavors. As I begin a new position and build trust in a new space, I will LEAN on THEM, so I can LEARN from my new colleagues.
Knowing I have my tribe, I feel confident to embrace a new culture.
Watch & Observe the Post-Covid Environment
Entering a position post-COVID is daunting. It’s like nothing I’ve done before. Onboarding will be virtual. I’ll be expected to accommodate a broad spectrum of personal boundaries. Work-from-home models are still very much in process. Everything will be iterative and evolutionary, like a very long A/B test. Patience and flexibility will be required more than ever. How will I do this?
By going slowly. By waiting. By being comfortable with uncertainty and discomfort (COVID trained me well!). That means not rushing into a solution, thinking I know what’s best and bowling everyone over with my ideas. I know I will need to notice the culture and observe the processes in place. They are all probably in-flux. I will watch how the post-COVID world shakes out and be part of the bigger solution, rather than the here’s-what-Rhonda-thinks solution.
Manage the Self-Care Conundrum From the Start.
Our society encourages full immersion–extreme nutritional cleanses and binge-watching television are two examples. I happen to agree wholeheartedly and throw myself, 150% into new projects. I am sometimes TOO enthusiastic.
This can be beneficial, but also creates a roller-coaster, all-or-nothing kind of life.I left corporate America for the same reason most people do: 60+-hour work weeks, not enough boundaries, eating like crap and sleeping too little. I was exhausted.
Six years later, after consulting on my own for six years, I’m approaching this new corporate position with a lot more wisdom and prevention. That includes self-care practices, a better idea of my own boundaries and the knowledge that work-life “balance” isn’t real. We don’t get what we hope for. We get what we intend. And I intend to live with more moderation.
When you have an independent tribe, a healthy awareness of the post-COVID environment, and a structured plan for self-care, you’ll be prepared for life in a new work environment. But, surprise, this is not a check-the-box situation. Very little is anymore. This is an ongoing project and you’ll get through it much like a heartbeat looks on a monitor–up and down, up and down, up and down. Have patience with yourself along the way.
