“EXERCISE.  .  .  Accountability,  Ability,  Learning,  Professionalism, Intuitiveness”

A few days ago, I heard a phrase that resonated with me.  It was spoken by a Senior U.S. Government Official.  The phrase is, “It’s not an empty exercise.”  Many of you in corporate America have been given a project from a senior stakeholder in the company.  You worked diligently and completed the project by the deadline only to learn, it wasn’t a “real deadline”, i.e. an empty exercise.  So the question is, What’s your EXERCISE?  Is it an empty exercise or not?

While we don’t always know why the exercise was requested by the stakeholder, as an employee, we accept assignments willingly.  Perhaps it was on a need to know basis.  Our control of the situation is within ourselves.  We manage our actions, whether driven by an emotion or not.  Getting past that unknown “why” from a senior stakeholder is personal to you.  The business issue of how you handled the situation and your actions, for which you are being paid, is why you have your position.

What’s stopping you from changing your attitude about an empty exercise?   How do you react when you want to hear more than a “thank you.”   What is your definition of a job well done?  How do you convey to others what your definition is?

The phrase, “It’s not an empty exercise” begets that many of us have experience of completing an empty exercise.  How we move forward following a “What’s your EXERCISE” story is the key — You Choose How You Want to be Known As in all real or empty exercises.  Enjoy your September day at work.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coaching and Change Agent

09/11/13