What I Learned about Jobs from My Cat
by Ronnie Ann, MBA
Work Coach Cafe blog
I know a few of you will read this post and say “That’s not me!” True enough…for some of you. The lucky ones. The one who’ve figured it all out already. But for the rest of you, there just might be something here to cat-ch your eye. (Sorry about that.)
Because of my strong interest in careers and the workplace, I often meet folks who tell me about their jobs – especially the parts that aren’t working for them. Stuff like not getting the recognition they feel they deserve. Sound familiar?
No special projects. No promotions. Piddly or non-existent bonuses. Not even more than an occasional hello from their boss – if that much. And not surprisingly they are not happy campers. Many dream of the day they can move on to a job where they’re finally appreciated and can get to take on some interesting work assignments.
It’s a beautiful dream for sure!
But here’s the thing…so often when they finally do move to that new job, they find themselves in a similar position. Hey…how did that happen? “Man there are a lot of crappy jobs out there!” Really? Is it really the job? Sometimes…sure. There are probably jobs out there that, try as hard as you might, just can’t be made better. But is there also another possibility? Again…sure.
And now…the story of my cat
I found Lucie at Kitty Kind, a wonderful non-profit that rescues cats, nurses them back to health if needed, and then tries to carefully place them in a good home. There were all kinds of cats that day: young, old, shy, playful, aggressive, gentle. But somehow none of them seemed quite right to me. And I took a lot of time going back and forth, looking in all the cages. Still…nothing grabbed my eye – or heart.
And then a woman who volunteered there pointed me to 1-year-old Lucie. “Her?” I said out loud. “I don’t get anything from her.” In fact, she seemed kind of dull and boring. I was getting over the loss of someone close to me and especially wanted an affectionate cat with a playful spirit. My heart was certainly drawn to this poor, sad cat in the cage, and I tried again and again to get her to play even a little (taking time in between to let her get used to me). I even threw a few toy mice into her cage, but she just lay there doing only the most basic stuff. And she really didn’t look like much to me…all huddled up in a barely-responsive ball. In fact, up until that time I had forgotten she was even one of the possibilities – that’s how much she faded into the background.
Still the volunteer had a feeling she might be right for me and I decided to at least take her home as a foster cat to help socialize her. Cut to the end of the story…Lucie is my cat. And I love her. She’s a wonderful cat. Given the initial time, patience, and much affection I gave her, she now returns all many times over. And best of all, she is one of the most playful cats I’ve ever met. In fact, play seems to be her raison d’?tre. I couldn’t ask for a better cat. Oh…and she’s absolutely beautiful!
But I almost passed her up because I didn’t notice her. Because of all she’d been through, she blended into the cage, kept her head down, and just did what she had to. My question to you is…does any of this sound even slightly familiar? Are you blending into a cage?
Unfortunately, bosses don’t have my volunteer lady to point out all your unseen qualities. There’s only one person that can get yourself noticed – and that’s you.
A few hints that might help get you out of the cage:
“Meow” says Lucie nodding her little head. She’s so wise. Uh oh. Where could that little rascal be now?
by Ronnie Ann, MBA
Work Coach Cafe blog
I know a few of you will read this post and say “That’s not me!” True enough…for some of you. The lucky ones. The one who’ve figured it all out already. But for the rest of you, there just might be something here to cat-ch your eye. (Sorry about that.)
Because of my strong interest in careers and the workplace, I often meet folks who tell me about their jobs – especially the parts that aren’t working for them. Stuff like not getting the recognition they feel they deserve. Sound familiar?
No special projects. No promotions. Piddly or non-existent bonuses. Not even more than an occasional hello from their boss – if that much. And not surprisingly they are not happy campers. Many dream of the day they can move on to a job where they’re finally appreciated and can get to take on some interesting work assignments.
It’s a beautiful dream for sure!
But here’s the thing…so often when they finally do move to that new job, they find themselves in a similar position. Hey…how did that happen? “Man there are a lot of crappy jobs out there!” Really? Is it really the job? Sometimes…sure. There are probably jobs out there that, try as hard as you might, just can’t be made better. But is there also another possibility? Again…sure.
And now…the story of my cat
I found Lucie at Kitty Kind, a wonderful non-profit that rescues cats, nurses them back to health if needed, and then tries to carefully place them in a good home. There were all kinds of cats that day: young, old, shy, playful, aggressive, gentle. But somehow none of them seemed quite right to me. And I took a lot of time going back and forth, looking in all the cages. Still…nothing grabbed my eye – or heart.
And then a woman who volunteered there pointed me to 1-year-old Lucie. “Her?” I said out loud. “I don’t get anything from her.” In fact, she seemed kind of dull and boring. I was getting over the loss of someone close to me and especially wanted an affectionate cat with a playful spirit. My heart was certainly drawn to this poor, sad cat in the cage, and I tried again and again to get her to play even a little (taking time in between to let her get used to me). I even threw a few toy mice into her cage, but she just lay there doing only the most basic stuff. And she really didn’t look like much to me…all huddled up in a barely-responsive ball. In fact, up until that time I had forgotten she was even one of the possibilities – that’s how much she faded into the background.
Still the volunteer had a feeling she might be right for me and I decided to at least take her home as a foster cat to help socialize her. Cut to the end of the story…Lucie is my cat. And I love her. She’s a wonderful cat. Given the initial time, patience, and much affection I gave her, she now returns all many times over. And best of all, she is one of the most playful cats I’ve ever met. In fact, play seems to be her raison d’?tre. I couldn’t ask for a better cat. Oh…and she’s absolutely beautiful!
But I almost passed her up because I didn’t notice her. Because of all she’d been through, she blended into the cage, kept her head down, and just did what she had to. My question to you is…does any of this sound even slightly familiar? Are you blending into a cage?
Unfortunately, bosses don’t have my volunteer lady to point out all your unseen qualities. There’s only one person that can get yourself noticed – and that’s you.
A few hints that might help get you out of the cage:
- Look for ways to improve things or solve problems
- Dare to suggest your solutions to your boss or team leader
- Make an effort to speak with folks doing the kind of work you’d like to do
- Show initiative by asking to work on projects or take on assignments that sound interesting to you
- Learn new skills related to the job (and let it be known)
- Stop by and say hello to your boss – they usually don’t bite
- Ask people about themselves and show a sincere interest
- Create a network for yourself of folks doing the kind of work you’d enjoy
- Say hello to folks as you pass them in the hall
- Find a niche no one else has mastered yet
- Don’t just sit with your head down counting the hours until end of day
- Try to keep positive even when things go wildly out of control – and if you have a solution – go for it
- Be a person who gets things done – but also make sure your boss and teammates know about it…without bragging of course
“Meow” says Lucie nodding her little head. She’s so wise. Uh oh. Where could that little rascal be now?
