Are you an accidental trouble-maker?
Of course you’re not! It’s other people, right?
Yet everyone has the capacity to create trouble in their place of work, regardless of whether they want to or not.
Given that as humans, only 10-15% of us - on average - are self-aware at any given time, there’s a good chance that your words or actions (or lack of!) could be creating unrest for those around us.
It shows itself in the following ways:
- Not showing up on time
- Not responding to messages
- Not preparing adequately
- Alienating others
- Raising your voice
- Being dismissive of others ideas
- Treating others with disrespect
- Letting your attention wander
- Not contributing when expected to do so
- Always focused on problems and not solutions
- Not delivering on promises and so on
People are great at coming up with excuses for their behaviour. Indeed they often attribute their behaviour to the actions or behaviours of others - ‘If they hadn’t done that, then I wouldn’t have responded in that way’, when in reality the onus is on everyone to keep their own behaviours in check.
In my experience few people ever really want to create trouble at work and when they do, it’s mostly subconscious and therefore accidental. Yet, that shouldn’t be a barrier to self-awareness.
Self-awareness isn't a personality trait you either have or don't. It's a discipline. It requires you to pause before reacting, to ask yourself whether your behaviour is serving the people around you or simply serving your own ego in the moment.
The question isn't whether you're capable of creating trouble, you are. We all are. The question is whether you're willing to do the uncomfortable work of noticing it and making different choices instead.
