September is already here, it’s the end of a beautiful summer parenthesis. We have to put on our suit and leather shoes, we have to recompose our professional image. And often, it is at this time of the year that the gap between who we are and the role we play every day at work questions us the most…
First day at work… I put on my suit and my leather shoes, this outfit that helps me to reaffirm my professional image, to carry my responsibilities. But after this longer than usual break, when I was free of my time, free to dress as I wanted and to share my days with my family, my friends, without professional varnish, I need some time. To readapt to the codes of my professional environment, to its values, to its culture. Then, little by little, with pleasure, I return to this right balance between authenticity and credibility. This space in which I feel in phase with myself and with my environment.
What about you? How do you live your return from vacation?
Are you in the excitement of a new season, in the fear of the resumption of the rhythm or in the suffering, by anticipation of the pressure, of the stress, the one you create and the one induced by your responsibilities?
Self-image is based on yourself, not on the expectations of others
This may be a sign that you are (too) in need of credibility, that there is a (too) large gap between the person you are in private and the person you are at work. You may have developed an image of yourself based on your idea of other people’s expectations, on what you think projects an image of credibility. You force yourself to conform to this image, to constantly readjust yourself, even to over-adapt. The result: you are in constant tension, controlling your behavior and your image. Your relationships with your colleagues, your peers and your hierarchy are impacted, and this creates an inner dissension, then a fatigue that inevitably eats away at the beautiful energy stored up during the vacations.
The company, an ecosystem to which we want to belong… Or not…
If, on the other hand, you think: “I’m not really back in my head”, if you don’t feel like being different on vacation or at work, you are in a state of “overflow” of authenticity. You can’t get back into the rhythm of your company’s conventions, you find the rules too strict, the people too political and you suffer from having to conform to a certain norm, in a role that doesn’t correspond to you. This, of course, weighs on you and makes you question your environment, your job, your role…
(Re)finding your balance
So how do you find your personal alignment between these two postures? Coming back from vacation and continuing the course of one’s life with fluidity, resuming the rhythm of one’s work and assuming one’s responsibilities…
It is of course possible…
5 anchor points to be adjusted
1) Accept that it will take some time to get fully operational upon your return and be gentle with yourself. Don’t try to be at your best from day one!
2) Mentally review your company’s codes and culture, and be happy with what speaks to you, what you have in common, what you agree on. And make peace with what is less relevant to you…
3) Be an actor: you are at the heart of a system and you can contribute to changing it. If you are a manager, put in place in your team the mindset that suits you, it will spread from within.
4) Take this beautiful energy that you have found during your vacation and pass it on to others. Positive energy is communicative, it will also help you find your bearings and your rhythm.
5) Protect your agenda and set clear limits that will allow you to maintain your balance.
“Authenticity is being 100% yourself, saying what comes spontaneously, without filters.
Credibility is being 100% in line with what you think the company and the company culture expect of you, of your role.”
