An Ambitious Post-Lockdown Springback

Today I fought another battle in an ongoing war.  I won the battle this time but its not the first time that I've come into conflict with this person and it might not be the last because, you see, that person is me.

("Fighting Myself" by songsnoire is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

I realised something today.  I realised that over time my values have changed, my circumstances have changed, my environment has changed and I've changed.  But with all this change going on I hadn't stopped to reflect.  At the beginning of my career, I was determined to carve out a good career for myself and a professional reputation that got me noticed. Now, don't get me wrong, I have always tried to be the best teacher I can be.  I always pressure on myself to perform at the highest level for the needs of my students.  Some people might say I'm a perfectionist and to some degree that might be true.  But things have changed so much in the past few years for me that I hadn't stopped to realise that I don't need to put myself under the same pressure any more.  Frankly it's exhausting.  Moreover, after reading a blog post by a friend of mine, I got to thinking that this is more than an issue about my own time management, but it's about culture and the image that we sell to early career professionals that they have to work themselves into the ground in order to get a foothold on the promotion ladder.  It's not healthy.  

Weller (2021) wrote a recent blog post about the impact of the online pivot and the post lockdown springback in which he discussed the impact of covid 19, how it has caused us all to re-evaluate our priorities and how we all have very different visions of what we want the new normal to look like.  I know what I want my new normal to look like and it's not this...

("Stress" by topgold is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

I remember setting out in my early career to try to impress all the right people and saying, "yes", to every small request my employer made in some misguided ambitious attempt to get noticed and make my mark on the world that I was entering.  Harrison (2021) in a recent blog post pointed out that the inability to say no can lead to over-commitment and stress.  How will we ever get to the end of our to do lists if we're forever taking on other people's jobs.  Yet we still do it!?

I believe that part of the problem lies in the perception that the workplace is a place of competition and to win the gold medals, get the promotions etc. you need to be prepared to go the extra mile.  But to what extent are you setting an unsustainable standard which will follow your for the rest of your career.  Ambition and aiming to be successful isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't need to be a competition.   

("Motivator: Ambition" by gerriet is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Vozza (2016) points to, "Six Habits of Ambitious People."  It makes for an interesting read.  

1.  Ambitious people don't compete with others.  The measure their success against their own goals and standards.  Yes - I can agree with that
2.  Ambitious people set themselves goals but don't share them with others.  The reasoning behind this is interesting.  Apparently, when you share your goals your brain is fooled into thinking that you've already achieved them.  As a result you don't work as hard to achieve them??  I'm not sure I agree with this one.
3.  Ambitious people network with and learn from others.  As a current MA student with the open university, I'm sure my fellow alumni will understand what I mean when I say that this is a noteworthy assertion for all us recent #H818 graduates to bear in mind.
4.  Ambitious people embrace dialogue and new ways of thinking.  Again, this is another one for us #OU #MAODE students and graduates to reflect on.
5.  Ambitious people are willing to take risks and experiment.  Yes, again I embrace creativity through experimentation and balanced risk taking in my learning and teaching practice.
6.  Ambitious people focus on getting the job done.  While planning and crafting an expert strategy is a totally worthwhile endeavour, none of that effort will count if it's not well executed.  

Having looked through that list, I notice two things.  Firstly, yes, I probably am quite ambitious if this checklist provides any kind of reliable indicator.  But secondly, and notably, it doesn't require you to work yourself into the ground!

("Work to Death" by ElFrenetico is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

I think teachers throughout the pandemic and at all levels have got the job done and we all deserve some recognition for that.  There's no denying that it's been tough.  But with talk emerging about a return to work, emerging from lockdown and everyone's anxieties at an all time high, I think we need to be ambitious.  

We don't need to compete with each other.  It's not about the online advocates versus the face-to-face heroes.  Maybe we need to talk to others, embrace new ways of thinking, engage in dialogue and experiment with new approaches.  I think we've all recognised that online learning works for some and it doesn't work for others.  So how do we emerge from this and find a solution that works for everyone?

If the teachers take on too much, it's not just an issue about time management.  The sheer levels of toxic stress can make you ill - believe me, I've been there.  Moreover, generations of experienced teachers are feeling alienated from a profession that has changed so rapidly that they're struggling to adapt.  Teachers everywhere are buckling under the weight of everything that's happened in the past year and many are leaving the profession. 

So, for me at least, one of my goals in emerging from lockdown is not to forget to prioritise my own needs.  (I won't tell you the rest of my goals in case they don't happen?!)  But, back at the beginning of this article, I said I realised something.  I realised that my needs matter.   

Follow me on twitter @McintoshMclean.

References

Harrison, B. (2020)  My Time Management Gremlins [Online].  Available at:  https://brendaharrison240126770.wordpress.com/2021/02/17/my-time-management-gremlins/
(Accessed 23rd February, 2021).

Vozza, S. (2016)  Six Habits of Ambitious People [Online].  Available at:  https://www.fastcompany.com/3048722/six-habits-of-ambitious-people (Accessed 23rd February 2021).  

Weller, M. (2021)  The post-lockdown springback & what it means for education [Online].  Available at:  http://blog.edtechie.net/ [Accessed 23rd February 2021). 

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