Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your modern mentor. I'm the founder of Lead Above Noise, a firm

specializing in activating workplaces, helping leaders bring simplicity, ease, and big giant results

to the forefront. Before we start today's episode, I just want to remind you that your questions

and curiosities are the fuel behind the show.

So if something, anything, workplace-related, has been on your mind, then leave me a voicemail

with your question at 201-67-8113. And I may just answer it on a future podcast. Just be sure to let me know if you prefer fame or

anonymity so I know whether or not to use your name. Okay, thanks in advance for your questions,

and here we go. So we all want to be using our time at work wisely. We want to be focused on the

top priority initiatives and projects. I mean,

otherwise, what are we doing here? And yet something I keep hearing in organizations across the board

is that the top priorities are changing like the wind. Like yesterday, we were all supposed

to be chasing new customers and today we were totally focused on retaining existing ones.

Or yesterday, innovation was the buzzword of the moment. New ideas were the thing. But today,

no. It is all about improving the basics of customer service. Or yesterday there was talk of

big strategic investments designed to prepare us for the future.

But today, it is all about cost containment. Do more with less and all that.

Truth is, all of these things matter, building new ideas and new relationships, as well as

supporting and nurturing existing ones, investing wisely and also saving money. The problem isn't

what the priority is, but rather how exhausted everyone feels, just trying to keep up. I'm hearing

from people that they are putting their hearts and souls into a project only to learn days

later, it no longer matters. And they need to start from scratch again.

This kind of exhaustion, the kind we get from corporate whiplash, it's not sustainable.

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