How to keep your head down?

[DrAmazon]

Things are goofy at work.  New upper level administration with lots of new ideas.  The ideas are trickling down to the worker bees through the layers of administratium and are no doubt getting filtered, misinterpreted etc.

Changes are desperately needed here, but some of the new "vision" is very disturbing.  Increased expectations are clearly on the horizon, but as of yet there's been no concrete suggestions of what will "give" to allow us to meet the new expectations.

Parties are already entrenched and defending their turf.  The whole thing is really stressing me out.  As one of the "young ones" the increased expectations will have a much larger impact on me than on many of my co-workers.  My head knows that I really don't have any influence on the changes, so I might as quit worrying about it, and buckle down to the stuff that I can impact.  The things that I would need to do to meet the "new expectations" are exactly what I'd need to do to land another job.  Right now I'm so buried in all that I "should do" at work that I feel like I'm just working and sleeping.  I haven't gone shooting in over a month.  When I do try to work it seems to be an incredible challenge to stay focused on anything.  

I can't seem to let go of the worrying.   keep saying that I won't discuss this crap at lunch or happy hour, but lo and behold I get sucked in again.  I know that being bugged by crap like this is part of my personality, but it's a part that I hate.

So how do I break out of it?  I've actually thought of buying a bag of big rubber bands, wearing one on my wrist and starting snapping myself.  Seems like a very childish cure for an adult woman in a professional field, but I'm getting desperate.

Any ideas?

[The Rabbi]

If the company is publicly traded then short the stock.  Their loss is your gain.

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

Doc,

You haven't mentioned the nature of your responsibilities, and of the organization itself.    These details would dictate how I would proceed.

For example, if it were an IT setting like my own, and things had begun to get that screwy, I'd be considering another job, either within or outside my current organization.  

You mention that the things required of you by management's Bold New Vision are the same things needed to secure another job.  What's wrong with discreetly shopping your resume' around on Monster or another more field-specific job site?

At the core of this, I see you caring a great deal about making a significant contribution, but feeling a bit trapped or blocked.  It helps me in that situation to gain new perspective by realizing/reminding yourself that you have significant control over your outcomes.  I usually do some 'outstide the box' brainstorming, not paying attention to how feasible or realistic the options are, but considering even goofy things, like moving to Tahiti, sleeping on the beach all day and tending bar all night.  

As a PhD, I'm sure you are capable of doing nearly anything you want.  Once you've made your brainstorming list, including everything from "maintain status quo" to "chuck it all and go live in the woods", begin to narrow the list based on your long-term goals.  Be gentle with yourself, remind yourself to be a human being, not just a human doing, and then move forward with the confidence that your ARE in control of where you go from here.

HTH,
Fig

[DrAmazon]

I'm a tenure track faculty member.   I will submit my materials for tenure consideration in the fall of 08.  The fear is that the set of expectations I was hired under may not be the expectations that I go up for tenure under.  Let me clarify, technically the expectations will be the same, but the interpretation of the expectations seems to be in flux.

 I haven't really been here long enough to be looking for another position without looking like there is somthing wrong with me.    I have a few things I need to accomplish to be able to "shop my wares" again.  

Like I said, I know in my head what has to be done, but I'm so damned distracted by the stress that I can't do what needs to be done (For example, I post on forums when I should be writing an exam!).  I am truly blessed to be employed in a rewarding job that I mostly love and I do manage to pay the bills and have a smidge extra to buy a bit of ammo.  I've got it better than most of the world out there, so why do I feel so darned miserable!

I'm trying to shift from a "reactive" to a "proactive" mode, but just can't seem to make the shift.

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

1) Go write your exam and quit procrastinating.

2) When worry comes, decide whether it is something you can directly affect or change, or whether you have no control over it.  If it is the former, take action to affect or change it.  If it is the latter, why worry about what you cannot change?

Sounds like you need a vacation or a long weekend getaway.

[grampster]

Listen to all the BS, smile and then go and do what you know is correct and what will work.   Most of the execudrones don't pay much attention to the the fallout or the actual follow through on policies and procedures anyway.  The are too busy kissing butt/protecting turf/agrandizing themselves/thinking up new BS etc.

I worked for a large insurance company for 37 years.  I even took the above advice to a higher level by being very vocal, yet maintaining my position in the company at a high level of success.  (Top 5% in sales out of 500 sales folks)  After awhile, they don't pay attention to you anymore, it even instilled a little fear as my work propped up their goals and bonus money.

As long as you are getting positive results in your area, generally following the rules doesn't matter.  You need to keep your methodology to yourself, though.  And I would, if I had to do it over, be less vocal.

[Perd Hapley]

According to the cable news, gun owners generally deal with these situations by going on killing sprees.  Is that not an option?  

[280plus]

Take a 30 minute walk after work every day to ease some of that stress. And go SHOOT SOMETHING!! I always feel better after that.

What's your field BTW?

[DrAmazon]

According to the cable news, gun owners generally deal with these situations by going on killing sprees.  Is that not an option?  

Nah.  None of these people are worth my match grade ammo, and I'd hate to waste my training ammo.  Besides, I try very hard not to be a stereotype.  I'm a conservative/libertarian, gun toting, motorcycle riding college professor.  How weird is that?

Seriously though, thanks for all the advice.  I did some thinking last night and decided that there are many more senior faculty that can take it to the mat fighting the battles.  Where needed, I can help research the facts that we need to fight the fights.  I looked at it as I can help "load the magazines", but someone else will do the "shooting".  I need to fight the more local battles-in my head, in my lab and on my desk.  

I am taking a weekend away this weekend.  I've got a ton of grading to do, but I can easily do it in another zipcode.

[HankB]

I'm a tenure track faculty member.

So you're a teacher in some college or university?

What subject?

Is your primary job instruction, or are you expected to be a rainmaker, bringing in government research grants and publishing in scholarly journals?

FWIW, job-related stress is a part of everyday life in the real world. If you're considering a move from academia to industry in order to relieve stress . . . you may be in for a rude awakening. (Note that as a rule, jobs in industry don't offer the opportunity to become "layoff proof" through tenure.)

The way I deal with work-related stress is to NOT take it home. If I have to work late, I'll work late . . . but once I leave the office, I put the job out of my mind as best I can.

[DrAmazon]

I'm a tenure track faculty member.

Is your primary job instruction, or are you expected to be a rainmaker, bringing in government research grants and publishing in scholarly journals?

Our primary mission is instruction, but we see a shift in expectations towards more research coming.  I'm not a bit opposed to doing more research, in fact I miss it.  However our current teaching loads really don't give faculty the time or facilities to do the work.  I am doing some grantwriting, so I can bring in the $ to buy the time and equipment, but grantwriting takes time.  

The blue funk seems to have broken, and I'm trying to stick to positive conversations with productive people.

Thanks for all the help.

[Standing Wolf]

I'm trying to shift from a "reactive" to a "proactive" mode, but just can't seem to make the shift.

1. The opposite of "reactive" is "active," not the imaginary "proactive."

2. Colleges are packed to the rafters with people who can neither do nor teach, and so busy themselves "changing things," which usually means they create tempests in tea pots.

3. Range time.

[Guest]

Remember that its just a job, leave the politics of it at work when you go home (i know you need to bring an amount of actual work home, but leave the mindset). Be nice to everyone regardless of their side of the issue, your not in a position to take sides and make enemies. Since you dont seem to have a lot of say in things, dont say a lot about them. You already know all of this, but its hard to accomplish, the only way is grim determination.

I am the same personality type, I hate it when things arent done "right" even if it isnt really my problem. I try to remember that as long as I do my job and they keep signing checks then everything is more-or-less fine, no matter what else happens.

[280plus]

Geez I hate the politics in the workplace. That's why I'm on my own. Maybe you need to get out and do some field research?

I remember a guy, the boss's son-inlaw to be exact, we had a disagreement over some thing or another and got called on the carpet for it. He lost because I was right. When we got to a private area afterward he says to me, "You play the game pretty good but I'll get you."

I said, "What game? This is work."

Yes, I'm better off left to myself.

[280plus]

His name was Todd, we called him Godd. Or sometimes Toad.

LOL...

[Antibubba]

Like I said, I know in my head what has to be done, but I'm so damned distracted by the stress that I can't do what needs to be done (For example, I post on forums when I should be writing an exam!).

If it'll help, we could have you banned.  

[CAnnoneer]

I sympathize with your plight.

What you are experiencing is called depression. Depression is anger turned inward. You are angry because you feel wronged. You feel wronged because you know that what is happening to you is unfair. Normally, you would fight back and resolve the situation, but in your case you do not have enough power to do so, at least openly. Your frustration turns your anger inward, because your rational mind knows that it would be unwise to let your anger rage outward. Your feel trapped and powerless, and so feel anything you do is meaningless. That is why it is so hard to concentrate and so difficult to get anything done.

Your reaction is completely normal and nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it is perfectly natural in your current situation.

The first thing you need to do is admit to yourself that the situation is not your fault - that will remove a lot of the emotional burden. The second is to take a couple days off and have fun and relax. Then sit down and build a rational plan to tackle the situation without anger or fear. The details are yours to work out. Collect info, make allies, manover, improvise, modify, adapt, overcome. If you unload negative emotion and reload cool logic, you cannot fail.

"Fear is the mind killer..."

[Art Eatman]

Decades ago, my mother went through this in the Psych Dept at UT Austin.  A Dr. Dallenbach, from Germany, was made head of the department.  He was a strong believer in "küchen, kirch and kinder" for women.  I leave the stress load to your imagination...

Fortunately, it became known that a cousin was the head of the legislative sub-committee with oversight of university budgets.

She wound up becoming UT's first ever Fulbright appointee.  In June of 1949, she and I headed for Manila, P.I.

Art