27 September 2023

Riding high: How to stay in the saddle when the workhorse bolts

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After a horror week at work, Kelly Brown* reveals the tactics she used to get straight back into the game.


This isn’t my usual playful post.

This is a little more real and a little more raw.

Work nearly broke my heart. I had one of ‘those’ weeks.

I haven’t cried at work for 20 years but I came close this week.

There are several things that occurred which all compounded to make me feel especially shitty.

The crux of it was that people I care deeply about have had experiences in our business that I feel tremendous regret and responsibility for.

I have heard crying and read things that have made me mad and sad at the same time.

I have felt an overwhelming frustration with my conduct as a leader.

I have felt that I am in a state of constant reaction rather than being proactive.

Projects I have laboured over have failed and we are off to the drawing board again.

This is compounding my feelings of frustration. This week, it felt like few things went right.

Most people would say that I am a cheerful and upbeat person to work with.

I work really hard at setting a positive tone in the workplace and acting the way I want to feel.

I’ll admit, it was hard to do that this week.

My temper was shorter and patience tested.

Twice this week I have been woken at 2am by my racing mind.

Don’t feel too sorry for me.

I have a blessed life and wouldn’t change jobs for all the tea in China.

I’m not fishing for compliments by sharing this experience. I think as leaders we can be reluctant to share our bad days.

The majority of people I work with give me glowing feedback that I feel unworthy of.

I have received plenty of positive feedback this week too but it has been dampened by my feeling of inadequacy.

The simple act of writing how I am feeling has been cathartic.

Here is how I picked my socks up and get on with it.

Gratitude:

I am extremely grateful that I have many people who I can call on in tough times and confide in.

I am grateful that I have people I can be brutally honest with who will not judge me and who would never betray my confidence.

This gives me a great sense of security.

I’m not convinced everyone has people like this in their life and I am truly grateful that I do have people who will lend me their ear and provide patient guidance.

Mindset:

Today I choose to adopt a learning mindset.

The challenges I have been faced with this week cannot be simply fixed. They will be hard and require stamina.

I must remind myself that I can do hard things and I can do them for as long as is needed. I will learn and grow from this crappy week.

Disconnect:

I switched off my phone and laptop last night and got outside to see the sunset.

I needed to distract myself and rest my mind to enable me to deal with the things I need to.

This weekend, I plan on reading a novel, watching my son play footy and visit my Mum.

Do something that inspires me:

I need to do things I enjoy today.

I love providing coaching to employees and have a session booked.

This always makes me feel fulfilled and inspired.

I can’t wait to spend time with Julia and assist her reach her goals.

Planning:

I love a good plan. It makes me feel in control and happy.

If I can see that things will be addressed in an organised way, I relax and it sets my mind free to concentrate.

I know everyone has bad weeks. I’ve had mine now and I look forward to a great week, next week.

I hope your bad weeks are few and far between but when they come know that this too shall pass.

*Kelly Brown is the founder of Recovery Partners Australia, a Sydney-based organisation which has the mission of reducing the financial and human cost of injury. She can be contacted at her website – rrp.com.au.

This article first appeared on the Recovery Partners Australia website.

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