A friend recently turned me on to the concept of the “Boiling Frog” and it struck me as a macabre, though entirely apropos, metaphor for the resilient worker in all of us. If a frog is placed in very hot or boiling water, it will sense the danger and discomfort and hop out immediately. As a cold-blooded animal, the frog continuously adapts its body temperature to its surroundings. So if you place him in cool water and gradually turn up the heat, the frog will not notice the temperature change and will raise its own internal temperature as appropriate. Unfortunately for the frog, as the conditions slowly turn grimmer, the frog still feels comfortable in the increasingly brutal environment. Since it can no longer recognize the dangerous change in temperatures, the frog will perish in the scalding water before it has a chance to hop out. Poor Kermit!
This Boiling Frog Syndrome can apply to many aspects of our lives but it is most impactful when examining our work lives. We all recognize danger signs when they are dramatic and immediately impact our day-to-day lives. A change in top management that no longer agrees with your philosophy. A massive drop in the stock price due to abysmal quarterly performance. The loss of a landmark sale or a key resource. All of these may be signs that your job is in jeopardy or may cause you to make significant changes in your effort and approach. But how many of us have stayed in a job too long where the conditions gradually worsen? A shortcut in morals to land a big deal. A sales territory shift to a less-tenured colleague or decreased responsibility across the board. Being passed over for a promotion. Shrinking compensation plans or a reduction in benefits. These events can occur over time and, since we adjust to these changes along the way, it becomes much harder to recognize the danger signs. We become discouraged and do nothing to improve our situation. We slowly lose our sharpness and lose our motivation. Now apathy and lethargy become the new “normal state” and, before we know it, we have stayed in the boiling water too long!
I am not suggesting that we always need to grab the brass ring and propel ourselves into top-level management. There are choices we consciously make along our journey that impact our career path. Perhaps we turn down a promotion because the increased travel could negatively impact our family life. Perhaps we stay in mid-management to avoid the upheaval of a disruptive move to headquarters. Perhaps we leave the workforce altogether or reduce our hours to take care of our children. These are all choices we are forced to make when we feel the water temperature rising. And, if they allow you to maintain your motivation and positive attitude, they are certainly the right decisions. Quality of life is a precious currency. But if we choose to stay in a job, we still must put forth the effort! And if the heat becomes destructive and damaging, we must be prepared to hop out and make a change. Passively sitting back and adjusting to deteriorating conditions does not help move your life forward. Mailing in a subpar performance and working without passion does not help move your life forward. Complaining about and blaming others for your undesirable situation does not help move your life forward. Each time you settle for a lesser outcome, a little piece of you withers away. Years can go by like uninspired minutes. You have far too much talent to passively float in the boiling water! If you want to lead a resilient life, you must find a way to stay conscious of your surroundings at all times and put forth maximum effort. If that water starts to boil, the resilient worker must react!
Stagnation floods the mind with thoughts of failure and slowly drowns the will to succeed; always move forward.–Noel DeJesus
Boiling Frog Syndrome can afflict any one of us at any point in our lives. We must actively fight to stay engaged. We must actively fight to stay motivated. And we must actively fight to maintain our positive attitude and resiliency. As long as we keep putting forth the effort, we never have to worry about ending up as a boiled frog. So jump on in, the water is fine!
Until next week, keep smiling!
Great read Red! Have a good week.
Thx, Whit! Keep on swimming!