Vacation week

*tap* *tap*

I'm here, but I think I've scared off all but a diehard or two. Hi! *waving* Thanks for stopping by from time to time even though there's only a rare payoff ... and not much of a payoff at that. I can't promise much today, either, but I felt compelled to post anyway.

I've had a few tough months, with several significant deaths amongst my family and friends, plus a lot of pressure at work, all compounded by what some might call the winter blues. My boss seems to think that the way to motivate people is to tell them how they are not performing up to expectations and threatening them with letters to their files, to HR, and to anyone else who might care.

Considering the kind of work I do (student affairs, counseling, coaching), which is largely about actively supporting and encouraging people to motivate them to succeed, you might think it's a little bit counterintuitive for the person who leads folks like me to use criticism, threats and intimidation to inspire greater productivity and better job performance. So far, though, it's working.

I mean, my performance and that of my colleagues has really ramped up, so the boss is getting exactly what was intended. What the boss is also getting, however, is an extremely unhappy, uninspired, and emotionally deflated staff.

The work I do involves talking and meeting with students (and sometimes parents) almost all day long. It requires the ability to problem-solve, create action plans, teach, comfort, listen, encourage, identify individuals at risk of flunking out, harming themselves, or harming others, counsel, inspire, and hold it together when upholding unpopular policies or explaining bureaucratic processes, some of which stir up volatile emotions in the people who are subjected to them. This all requires a great deal of tact, empathy, expertise and institutional knowledge, patience, and the ability to be authoritative. All of this demands a huge reserve of emotional energy, and that reserve must get replenished periodically.

I am fortunate to have worked in supportive environments in the past, where supervisors as well as colleagues helped one another to stay emotionally strong, motivated, and full of ideas and energy. Right now, though, my reserves are depleted. My colleagues are unable to help because they're running on the fumes of fumes themselves. My daily medication cocktail, which includes an anti-depressant, an ADD drug, iron and B-12 supplements, and a hypo-thyroid pill, isn't doing the trick. I'm checking job listings daily, but in this economy there's not much out there (as I'm sure some of you know only too well). I'm considering a lobotomy if something doesn't change soon.

Any other suggestions?

Posted by cynical at March 01, 2009 05:47 PM