Perception? Meet Reality

“That should be my job!”

The young woman before me spoke with conviction and sincerity. Yes, there was a measure of ambition mixed in with her comments. But as far as I could tell, her assessment was correct.

“Monica” is a contract worker with a national communications company. She had been a fulltime employee a few years ago, but the downturn in the economy forced layoffs, including Monica. She’d found work with other operations, but none fit her as well, nor offered the same measure of job satisfaction as the first company.

Now she was back – back “home,” if you will – working her heart out with all the additional knowledge and experience she’d collected during her time away.

There were a number of specialize travel assignments coming up, and Monica’s supervisor seemed clueless about where to begin. Monica had several similar assignments under her belt, and she happily provided information and contacts to help the events go smoothly. Her co-workers were delighted with and appreciative of the support she offered so willingly.

The supervisor accepted all of Monica’s contributions. She also regularly attempted to present Monica’s work as her own. As the deadline for each event drew close, the supervisor sometimes would “forget” to include Monica in meetings. Only the calls from panicked co-workers seeking information would alert Monica to the meetings she missed.

Attempts to talk with the supervisor led no where. “I LOVE the work you’re doing here,” she said.

People continued to ask Monica for guidance. Monica tried to defer those inquiries to her supervisor, who responded to employees with comments like “Don’t worry about it” or “Can’t you figure it out?” or even “Ask Monica.”

Monica did have some occasional contact with senior management. She was wise enough to never complain about her supervisor. She simply asked for feedback about her work and the work of her team. Senior management seemed quite happy with the way the projects were going and quite happy with Monica’s supervisor.

Which brings us back to Monica’s declaration of frustration.

I acknowledged that based on performance, it would seem that Monica was doing the job of her supervisor without any of the credit or perks. It also seemed clear to me that her supervisor’s value to senior management was based on factors beyond the responsibilities of the job.

Monica paused. “My supervisor has a good relationship with our VP,” she said.

Based on what? “They go to the same social events. They rub shoulders with the same kinds of famous and powerful people.”

I asked if they were peers. “Yes, they are about the same age.”

Which is about 15 to 20 years older than Monica.

And here is where perception meets reality. My bet is that Monica could run every event by herself, receive accolades from every quarter and her supervisor still would enjoy a position of trust with senior management. Monica’s job performance is not going change that.

So Monica’s contributions have to be based on her own personal compass; her own work ethic and her own values.

Monica is hard-wired to do put out 100 percent effort and to support her team. To do less makes her feel small. It disappoints her.

Of course, Monica is like every other human being. We all want to be acknowledged for our contributions. We all blossom with appreciation.

I asked Monica if it were enough to get the thanks and praises of the co-workers and clients around her, even though they did not translate into the position and salary she believed she deserved. Was it enough to do well at the kind of work she loved for a company that felt like “home?”

The “enough” question is critical. Because, after weighing all the pluses and minuses, the frustrations and the satisfactions, the disrespect and the opportunity, it comes down to choice. Monica’s choice.

Sometimes good work is enough. And sometimes it’s time to leave “home.”

For now, Monica has decided to stay where she is, and to stop stressing about the things she can’t control. That doesn’t mean she’s blind to the possibility that her work situation might deteriorate. Nor does it mean that she’s not keeping her eye out for other opportunities.
But right now, for this moment, the work is enough. And that’s perfect for her.