Don’t get on the wrong bus!

Ever had a moment when it dawned on you that you'd got on the wrong bus?

Not a bus going in the wrong direction literally - although I’ve probably done that - going in the wrong direction metaphorically! I remember a Friday evening during the first few weeks of university.  It was before I’d found my tribe. I’d tagged along with a bunch of fellow students on a night out to Leeds city centre. We sat on the top deck of the bus. The inappropriate banter started. Then came the football songs. This really wasn’t my crowd...

I guess we’ve all had similar experiences, not just socially but in professional situations too. Perhaps we’ve got stuck at jobs that we dislike or feel a workplace culture is at odds with who we are.

A couple of decades after sitting on the wrong bus, I found myself at the 2012 Do Lectures in the west of Wales. Edward Espe Brown gave a talk about his experiences as a Zen priest. He told us how having sat still for 30,000 hours had made him very good at heading towards Edward.

I liked that.

On that night out in Leeds, I might have been heading into the city, but I certainly wasn’t heading towards me! These days I always pay attention to where I’m headed.

Having the confidence to stay true to you often comes with age and experience, but here are four things to consider:

• Put ‘You’ at the heart of your work life and let that inform the work you create and how you lead

• Know the habits, behaviours and ingredients that make you thrive and build a working life around that

• Listen to your gut and take action when you spot a misalignment between your personal values and the company's values

• Nurture good relationships - put in the work, and leave those that are toxic; be careful who you get on the bus with ;)