Coffee Talk Tuesday #16

Happy Coffee Talk Tuesday! Welcome to the weekly chat where I spill my guts and try not to spill my coffee. That would be very sad.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I’m a BIG fan of sports this week! Did you know that Dunkin gives free coffee (medium) if your local sports team WINS?! Yay football!!!

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that I’m gearing up for a 10-day work travel adventure. It’s both exciting and hard to leave. I love my time in Colorado – it’s very productive, but also exhausting. I’ll spend 10 days and travel to 12 cities between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs (and even out to Aspen). I love it, and wouldn’t trade my territory for the world. I’ll get a week at home, and then it’s Oktoberfest and Harvest Home events, then I’m back on the ‘road’ to Texas for 4 days in Houston and 2 days in Memphis. Whew!

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that for the first time in EIGHT years, my travel does not include the National Conference for admissions/counseling. Most of my team is going, but I’m not this year. I made a conscious decision to scale back in my extracurricular professional work this year — I’m no longer a leader on the President’s Council for my regional group, so I thought maybe I’d sit this conference out. Instead, I’m attending a marketing/communications focused conference/workshop in Memphis. It’s a good move for me.

If we were having coffee today, I’d probably say not attending the national conference and scaling back my leadership duties is a sign of Millennial Burnout. Specifically, millennial woman burnout. We tend to get involved, say YES to everything, because we think this task, no that task will lead us to a brighter future. But, what happens is we get so stuck in the weeds, stuck on the yes train, that we lose sight of our career options, and end up not working toward anything at all. And I find myself stuck as a ‘task master’ in my office. No one knows how to do that? Let’s ask Aundra. I love and hate it. I want to do my part to help the team succeed, but sometimes it’s nice to say YOU, it’s your turn. I have a hard time letting go, but that’s one of the professional goals I’ve set this year. It’s all to avoid the burnout, even though I think I’m already circling the drain.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that there have been some CHANGES in the small world. First, Google. Did you notice the change in their iconic logo? Me neither.

Speaking of changes, are you ready for this one? A variety of finger-pointing articles have declared that maybe there are 13 signs of the zodiac, not 12. Now, look, I’m not really into astrology, but it’s always fun to read a horoscope or learn more about personalities based on someone’s birthday. I’ve long identified as a Gemini. Maybe that’s not the case anymore; I might be a Taurus. Truthfully, I think we can find qualities of ourselves in all of the signs, but I’ve spent the past 30 years thinking I’m a Gemini. Here are the ‘new’ zodiac dates/charts. And here’s an article that might get you thinking about the whole proposal.

If we were having coffee today, I’d end on a weird note with an article that has me intrigued this week – Signs an Employee Should be Fired. As a supervisor, I’m always looking for great tips, ways to motivate people, keep them engaged and active. This article caught my attention because it takes more of a negative approach – things not to do. Combine this with the previously-mentioned burnout article, and this just-published article on high demands and expectations, and I’m even more uncertain and confused, especially as a supervisor/mentor. We’re practically pushing new/first-level professionals to act in ways that should get them fired. I’ve long talked about the crazy sense of entitlement and inability to do something that ‘isn’t my job’ among new hires, but maybe we’re helping create that culture (not reassigning blame, some of that is on the individual/professional). Just something on my mind a LOT lately.

What’s in your cup this week?