Here’s a workplace truth:

A huge part of how you do your job is based on your boss’s view of work. 

And, more broadly, their attitude to life.

For instance…

Your boss might be the kind of person who lets you get on with things.  As long as you deliver, you can work any which way you want.

They might be the kind of person who lives for activity.  They want to see you in meetings, on calls and relentlessly churning out emails.

Or they might be a micro-manager.  They’re always looking over your shoulder and checking up on you.

Point is, people work in different ways.  This will never change.

But as you work with different bosses, you need to keep adapting your working style.

In other words, you need to be a workplace chameleon. 

At first, it might feel odd to move away from your natural way of working to modify how you work for your boss.

But as time goes by, working like a chameleon might start to feel more normal.  And playing a role feels more normal too. 

You play whatever role you need to play to please your current boss in that current moment.

Now you might be thinking…

So where are you going with all this Tom?  Aren’t we all just a product of our environment?

Well yes.  To some extent.  It’s natural to adjust to different situations and different people.

But here’s the nub:

When you’re adjusting how you work, act and think 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for months…

And years…

And years…

It starts to become more problematic.

You’re playing the role of an actor in a never-ending play.  And in my experience, doing this can start to put your wellbeing in jeopardy.

I found being a workplace chameleon increasingly tiring.  Physically and emotionally.

And I found my lack of autonomy and control created conflict between my values and my work.  Which, in turn, led to stress and lack of fulfilment.

But it wasn’t obvious at the time what was happening. 

It was easier to pin the stress and lack of fulfilment on long to-do lists and last minute deadlines. 

And sure.  These did contribute.

But to my mind, losing touch with my natural way of working and being – which is another way of saying losing touch with who I was – was arguably more of a factor.

So while I agree that a degree of adaptability is normal and necessary, the consequences can be severe if the scales tip too far.

Could be something to look out for.

And if any of this resonates and you’d like to talk, hit the link below to set up a free call with me.

That's it for today.

 - Tom

p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me