Does the following scenario sound familiar? In a team meeting you put forward an idea that you like, and you think has some merit. The idea gets kicked around a little bit, gently at first as it is explored in more detail. Out of nowhere a colleague spots a weakness and directly criticizes the proposal. You defend the idea and find yourself becoming more entrenched in your thinking. Once one weakness is spotted, some of your colleagues appear to go looking for further weaknesses or double-down on the initial weakness. Somewhere along the line your perspective begins to shift, and the criticisms of your idea feel like personal criticisms. The quality of the discussion drops. Reaching an agreement becomes difficult and the meeting ends without a decision being made or with a decision being imposed.
I love this. It connects to a similar strategy I've employed throughout my career: I make an effort NOT to work jobs/roles that I have an emotional connection to. For example, I worked at a small website in my early 20s that I had used habitually (almost obsessively) before I worked there. I felt a deep connection to the mission and the content. After I had worked there for a year the business decided to pivot in order to stay afloat, and it was emotionally crushing for me and deeply affected me on a personal level. I found myself unable to do my job because I was so disappointed about the new direction. It definitely clouded my judgement at work and just generally made me miserable. Now I choose jobs at companies that I respect and admire, but that I also have a bit of personal distance from so as not to get too emotionally involved.
I love this. It connects to a similar strategy I've employed throughout my career: I make an effort NOT to work jobs/roles that I have an emotional connection to. For example, I worked at a small website in my early 20s that I had used habitually (almost obsessively) before I worked there. I felt a deep connection to the mission and the content. After I had worked there for a year the business decided to pivot in order to stay afloat, and it was emotionally crushing for me and deeply affected me on a personal level. I found myself unable to do my job because I was so disappointed about the new direction. It definitely clouded my judgement at work and just generally made me miserable. Now I choose jobs at companies that I respect and admire, but that I also have a bit of personal distance from so as not to get too emotionally involved.