Midlife will disrupt the status quo. It’s like when a new person joins an organization and starts questioning things that have been that way for a long time. Stuff that has been accepted and that may have gone unnoticed or tolerated.
And that’s why it can feel like a crisis because things seemed to have been going along fine, and out of nowhere, there’s this new voice questioning everything. Suddenly, the very entrenched status quo is at risk. That’s unsettling.
The part of you that’s questioning isn’t trying to cause trouble or blow up everything you’ve worked so hard building. But like that new employee, it’s coming in with fresh eyes, curiosity, and wanting to understand.
Instead of getting scared and defensive, what if you took that new employee out for lunch? Ask them what they notice, how they feel, and what they think. Embrace having another part of you on board that cares this much.
Embrace having another part of you on board that cares this much.
Here are some questions you can use to interview this “new employee”
As the new person here:
- What do you see that’s working well?
- What could be more efficient or updated?
- Where are the energy leaks?
- What would you change if you could do anything differently?
- What do you think is just being tolerated?
- Who is our “team” missing (a role, a skill, a resource)?
- What doesn’t make sense to you?
It takes an open mind and curiosity to look critically at the status quo. Way to go!
