A business day of a manager begins and ends with goals. Sometimes these goals are too big – at least that’s the subjective perception. Managers accept them reluctantly – they say ‘OK’, but they are stuck in their throats like an undigested morsel of food. They are responsible for their realization, but they are not part of them. They accept them as a necessity and an imposed task. They want to provide the maximum and achieve the set goals, but they perceive them as distant.

When we live with plans and tasks that we don’t perceive as our own, we feel insecure when taking steps towards fulfillment. There is not enough self-confidence, a sense of support, nor enthusiasm. There is a lack of energy in the air. One of the indicators of this type of functioning model is the constant repetition of the phrase “I must” when talking about work.

Sometimes it happens that such goals are achieved, but deep inside there is no feeling of satisfaction because they are not experienced as one’s own, but as a foreign body. If such practice happens continuously, the demands of the environment become so immense that they completely suffocate the true needs of a manager. What follows in such situation is often giving up one’s needs, which leads to further insecurity, anxiety and lack of self-confidence.

How to take care of your own mental health in such cases, without making radical decisions – leaving the company or creating conflicts with supervisors?

The first step could be a personal initiative. It can fit in with the goals we have been assigned, reformulate them in the way so they become more achieavable, or maybe be an addition to the default, something outside of that, which inspires us, and for which we do not expect applause from superiors.

Working on something that is truly ours gives meaning to everyday functioning. It can be a work on the development of your employees, or a personal project which is independently initiated and close to the “main goal”. Authentic initiative alleviates the burden of having to, it gives a personal touch, it increases the feeling of connection with what we do and it contributes to greater satisfaction when completing tasks.

Published in Nedeljnik, January 2023.