There’s nothing more uncomfortable than an elephant in the room. No one wants to discuss the elephant. It’s better to avoid it by not acknowledging the elephant’s existence. What’s the elephant in your room? Or was there someone else’s elephant that you couldn’t discuss.

The elephants I experienced usually involved my former bosses. In one situation, everyone knew our boss was a bully, but no one could say anything, because he was the boss and we were the subordinates. The second time, it was a manager, who was in trouble, as he was going to be shown the door.

The third time was similar to the second time. In this situation, it was an executive who was being demoted from C-level to our level. How do you handle that? Kudos to this former executive for bringing up the subject, trying to make amends for any damage he may have caused. I respected his directness and candor. We all moved on, but that elephant was not acknowledged by us, but by the elephant himself.

See a theme? Why do my elephants involve bosses being transitioned out of a company? I’m sure your elephants don’t involve your bosses, or maybe they do. What can you learn from your elephants? Are you the elephant? How can you prevent the elephant from coming into the room in the first place? How could you have avoided going into the room in the first place! Better yet, how can you not be the elephant!

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12 Questions for Career Mindfulness Series

The 12 Questions for Career Mindfulness Series reflects on twelve questions to help you reflect about the course of your career. Perhaps once you see your answers, you’ll see patterns or maybe you won’t. These questions conjure up memories of jobs that may still create some undercurrent of discomfort. I hope some questions validate your strengths or your weaknesses, while some questions provoke a memory that you thought you forgot.

1. How was the first day of your last job? How was the last day of your first job?
2. If you wrote an email to yourself on attitude adjustment, how would it read?
3. What things did you do or love as a child that explains how your work today?
4. Write about a phone call that changed everything in your life.
5. Write about the book that changed everything in your career.
6. If you could ask a former boss a question you wanted to ask, what would that question be?
7. Have you experienced a painful loyalty?
8. What happened on a workday that was different?
9. How did it all go wrong so fast?
10. What if you didn’t get that job?
11. What is the elephant in the room?
12. What if you finally get to do what you always wanted?

I’ll post one question on career mindfulness per work day for the rest of June 2009. For previous entries in this series, click here.

Similar Posts:

• 12 Questions for Career Mindfulness: #6 If you could ask a former boss a question, what would you ask?
• 12 Questions for Career Mindfulness: #12 What if you finally get to do what you always wanted?
• 12 Questions for Career Mindfulness: #9 How did it all go wrong so fast?
• 12 Questions for Career Mindfulness: #2 If you wrote an email to yourself on attitude adjustment, how would it read?
• 12 Questions for Career Mindfulness: #4 Write about a Phone Call that Changed Everything