Quiet Quitting seems to be all the rage right now, or it’s at least a hot topic of discussion.
No doubt you are asking yourself if this is the answer to reducing your work hours and getting your life back.
Let me go ahead and tell you emphatically that the answer is no. Quiet Quitting will increase your stress level and put your career at greater risk.
Quiet Quitting Defined
Quiet quitting is essentially when you do the bare minimum expected of you within your career, job, or position.
Instead of taking on extra projects, working 12 hours a day, etc. you simply show up, punch the clock, do the work assigned to you, and then clock out and leave the work at work.
Now as I describe this, there are several aspects of this concept that are appealing.
The ability to reduce your work hours, eliminate the daily stress and fear that consumes you, and take control of your life is what we all want.
However, quiet quitting isn’t the answer.
To understand why we must first understand what is behind the quiet quitting movement and what we are ultimately trying to achieve.
Why Is Quiet Quitting a Movement?
Why is this such a big deal right now?
Because a large portion of the workforce is expressing feelings of burnout, exhaustion, and reduced mental health.
The thought of showing up, doing only what you’re required to do at work, and then leaving sounds fairly freeing. It’s a concept that is super attractive when the thought of spending one extra hour or doing one extra task feels like it will push you over the edge.
But get this, in over 90% of the clients I work with, the reason why these leaders are stressed isn’t because of the work the company is demanding of them, it’s a mental drive to feel safe in their careers.
That is what has us stressed, working extra, and essentially killing ourselves.
You inherently want to be free to show up and do what is expected at work, but the problem is that you have no idea what is expected. So you’re doing all kinds of tasks, projects, actions, and work in the hopes that all of those actions combined will keep you successful and secure.
The harsh reality is that it is so much easier to blame the organization and say “look at what they are making me do” instead of truly assessing why we have created the life we are currently living.
How Did I Get Here?
We each have a vision of what our lives are meant to look like and a large component of that vision is a successful career.
But what is success?
How do you deliver it consistently?
And an even scarier question, how do you achieve and maintain success in such a way that creates career security?
This is the question every executive is trying to answer, consciously or subconsciously.
The actions we take in our careers are the ones we believe will provide career security in a current environment of instability.
Because we are uncertain as to what creates success and security, we rationalize that if we work more and do more, surely they won’t fire us.
So now ask yourself this:
Is the company clearly asking you to work extra hours? Is the company telling you that you must take on an extra project or you will be fired?
Or is this our interpretation of the actions we must take in order to have career success and security?
Why Quiet Quitting Increases Your Stress Level
When you decide to “quietly quit,” you will immediately stop performing actions in your routine that provide you mental peace and psychological security in your career.
Know this, the company doesn’t care when you, as an executive leader, work, it simply cares that you add value to the organization.
Here’s the kicker, if the “extra” work you are doing was for your personal security and you dial it back to a “9-5” job, you still haven’t created career security for yourself and you’re still not adding consistent value to the company.
Have you solved anything with Quiet Quitting?
No. You’re still scared and the company is still looking to you to add value.
If you start refusing to add value, meaning you start saying things like “that’s not in my job description,” you spend your work hours on things to make yourself feel secure but not help the company grow, and you blame the company for the extra work you put in instead of owning those actions as ones you performed for personal self-preservation, then you have actually put yourself at a greater risk of termination.
If Quiet Quitting Isn’t The Answer, What Is?
Instead of quietly quitting, seek to understand:
1. How the company defines value. What do they need from you each day and how do they want you to deliver on it? This can be done during standard business hours.
2. Why you have been “going above and beyond.” Was it to selflessly add value to the company or to create career security?
3. What you can do that adds value, eliminates the self-preservation actions that are taking up your time, and achieve career success/security and time freedom.
When you’re ready, here are 4 ways we can help you achieve Time Freedom and become an Irreplaceable Asset in your career:
1. Grab a free copy of my audiobook
To achieve professional success and personal freedom — Click Here
2. Join our Time Freedom Implementation Program and be a Case Study
I have a new female executive leader case study group here at Legend Leaders that is centered on time freedom. In 60 days we will help you get back 10 hours of your work time and rededicate it to personal time. If you’d like to work with me to create time freedom while still having professional success … just send me a message at m.me/makinglegendaryleaders with the words “Case Study”.
3. Work with me and my team privately
If you’d like to work directly with me and my team to take you from career fear and burnout to professional success and personal freedom… just send me a message at m.me/makinglegendaryleaders with the word “Private”… tell me a little about yourself and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details!
4. Get a Strategy Session
And if you ever want to get some quick 1:1 help, we can jump on the phone for a short call, and brainstorm how to create career success and personal freedom in your life. Simply message me at m.me/makinglegendaryleaders, comment “Strategy,” and I will get you the calendar link.
And from a company perspective, if you weren’t adding consistent value with all of the extra work, will you be adding value with this new approach?
Said differently, if you didn’t know what hte company