Three Cats and Work: Making it easier

These three seem to be having a very good time. Dancing cats is a new phenomenon to me. I’m thinking it’s Friday and a long weekend.

What do they have to do with work, and, more specifically, us at work? Each of these cats brings everything that has ever happened to them to your home. Every moment they are there, they are reacting in the present through the lens of the past.

Even when they dance and show their bellies, they are alert to the cats next to them, where they are, what they might do, and how they might need to react. Cat politics are at play, along with survival instincts.

There’s a funny saying about cats and truth-telling. When somebody lies or tries to make a fake or false statement a factually true statement, they’re “as busy as three cats--one looking, one digging, and one covering up.”

That kind of busy self-protective action makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? “Maybe they won’t see what I am doing (or not doing)… Maybe if I just keep my head down I can make it here… Maybe someone will notice my contribution…” We’re just as busy trying to deal with the impact of the past in the present even when we tell the truth. What happens if we think of what we see in the workplace through a different lens? The ability to change lenses is one of the key skills required to develop Emotional Intelligence and recover from overwhelming experiences. It reduces brittleness, makes change easier, and helps you deal with the present from the present instead of the past.

Busy as three cats? Make it about learning how to see differently, think differently, and act differently…. it helps! The TIA? We do that. Invite me for a conversation about our work!