"Bullshit jobs regularly induce feelings of hopelessness, depression, and self-loathing. They are forms of spiritual violence directed at the essence of what it means to be a human being."
— David Graeber
David Graeber - the late, great, anarchist anthropologist - is like the child in the Emperor's New Clothes. He sees naked truth where the crowd see nothing to see here.
We'll come back to that child in a bit ...
Graeber recognised the wasted time and frustration we experience navigating meaningless tasks and corporate absurdities. Doing what our job actually is gets relegated to a secondary priority. No wonder we struggle getting out of bed in the morning.
When I left my lecturing job to go freelance, it felt like both a leap in the dark and a liberation. Though it was daunting to contemplate life without a regular salary, the joy of reclaiming autonomy made it worthwhile. No more wading through a swamp of emails, expending brain battery strategising how to swerve pointless online training, or being ambushed by sudden deadlines for abstruse tasks.
I also banished the bullshit of cosmetic consultation.
"Thank you for raising a legitimate issue, have you thought of ways to address it?"
"Yes"
"Then please do jot the ideas down, send them to the Deputy Quality Improvement Officer and three other people with impressive sounding job titles ... oh, and we'd be delighted to invite you onto our very important working group ..."
If you're as susceptible to flattery as I, watch out! You could well end up imprisoned in Committee: the place where good ideas go to die. Once there, you'll feel like the whistle-blowing child in The Emperor’s New Clothes (I told you we'd go back there). You'll see clearly what's wrong. You'll point out the shrivelled regal gonads. You'll even propose ways to preserve The Royal Dignity. But you might as well be speaking Klingon for all the difference it will make.
Organisational sludge and reframing the narrative
Encountering organisational sludge has become a major theme in my coaching. I see coachees blocked by an institutional allergy to divergent thinking. Education workplaces focus on anything but learning; arts organisations, stranded in funding labyrinths, stop making art; and then there's the cyclical hell of 'restructures' ...
So, how can coaches help coachees navigate the sludge and rediscover their sense of purpose?
One way is to reframe the narrative. Stories have power, and the three story structures outlined by Chip and Dan Heath in Made to Stick can help coachees regain feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness - the three core psychological needs Ryan & Deci's Self-Determination Theory tells us are essential for intrinsic motivation.
The Challenge Plot: Slaying Goliath to Reclaim Autonomy
The David and Goliath story typifies The Challenge Plot - the underdog takes on an ogre. Goliath might represent bureaucracy, a toxic workplace culture, or simply the inertia that sets in when everyone feels demotivated. David is the coachee, standing small but determined, slingshot in hand. Defining the slingshot is key - it represents the potential tools to overcome a seemingly all-powerful foe.
From a Self-Determination Theory perspective, the Challenge Plot helps to reclaim a feeling of autonomy. Autonomy isn’t about being able to change the whole system, it’s about focusing on what you can control. When coaching for a difficult job interview, for instance, I don’t focus on whether the coachee will get the gig - that’s out of their hands. Instead, I encourage them to think about how they can best prepare, make a compelling case, and emerge knowing they did everything within their power to be offered the post.
It's important to stress here that in day-to-day encounters Goliath represents metaphorical organisational ogres, not individuals. In fact, a tactic emphasising collaboration over combat, we rather than me and you will generate better outcomes. Goliath comes to represent the shared barriers to achieving agreed objectives. You may find that a cautious manager starts to work with the member of staff to find the slingshot.
"That swing's a safety minefield. We can't go ahead."
"Yes, the safety aspect does seem insurmountable. Let's explore if we can overcome the obstacle so we can make the playground as brilliant as possible for kids and their families."
2. The Connection Plot: Being the Good Samaritan to Foster Relatedness
The Connection Plot is all about fostering relationships and empathy. The Good Samaritan, like our child watching the parade, stands out from the crowd. But here, the aim is to tell a story about fostering collaboration through bridging difference. In the workplace, this translates into a feeling of relatedness.
Many coachees come to me feeling isolated in their jobs, alienated by coworkers or distant managers. Often they are managers themselves, at a loss to how to motivate staff, volunteers or those that their workplace is there to serve. The Connection Plot allows them to reframe their challenges as opportunities; to build bridges rather than walls. If a coachee is struggling with a difficult manager, for example, I encourage them to focus not on trying to change the manager’s behaviour, or even on making their case brilliantly, but on starting with empathy. Deep listening is key. Like the Good Samaritan, start with the other person's perspective, ask questions to get a real grip on the issue, then work collaboratively. As with the Challenge Plot, this is about making progress in the right direction.
The Good Samaritan was the person who saw the other's humanity when everyone else walked on by. It's a great parable for the benefits of diversity. If we start by acknowledging other people's difference as the beginning of dialogue, then we can build from their standpoint. In the world of drama improvisation, we call this the "yes ... and ..." approach.
"I'm worried about safety and whether the playground can go ahead. There's nowhere for parents and carers to sit to supervise the children adequately?"
"Yes, thank you for raising this. It's an important concern. Let's look at the ground plan and find the best place for a bench ..."
By shifting the focus to relationships, the coachee can begin to feel more connected, not just to their coworkers, but to their work as a whole. They won't be able to fix everything, but they can cultivate a sense of relatedness that helps them stay motivated and engaged. They haven't let sludge lead to stagnation.
3. The Creativity Plot: Unleashing Competence Through Breakthrough Thinking
Finally, there’s the Creativity Plot—the story of the breakthrough thinker who sees the truth to solve the unsolvable problem, like the maverick detective cracking the case. In the context of work, this plot aligns with the need to feel competent; effective and capable in your actions. Note how Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes kept a laser focus on what matters to solve the problem. They operate in parallel to the dominant culture - never diverted by brain clutter - they are obstinate creative thinkers.
When coachees face institutional sludge, the Creativity Plot can help them tap into their latent problem-solving abilities. They can shift from feeling powerless to seeing themselves as having something valuable to offer, even if the organisation might not immediately recognise it. There's also often recognition that many people have to self-prioritise within (over)ambitious job descriptions. This creates a space to prioritise purposeful work over the sludge.
Note also, that some bullshit jobs are 'essential' because regulation makes them so. They are framed as supporting organisational values and outcomes, but aren't actually core activities in themselves. Mini-industries emerge within organisations, mindful of non-negotiable regulations. And these mini-industries have a habit of growing. Think of the mega-industry of marking in universities. It's not actually teaching. 'Essential' typically morphs into 'urgent', when in fact the urgency is internally generated internally for organisational convenience.
Holmes and Marple know that that's all well and good, but there's a murder or solve.
- Just a quick follow-up to see if you've managed to complete the ten-page risk assessment on the playground.
-Thanks for the nudge. I'll make sure the RA is completed in good time. I've prioritised the design of the swing this week. See attached the design, which enables excellent disabled access and involvement from parents and carers.
The Creativity Plot gives clients the confidence to recognise their competence and expertise, even in environments that may not value it. Sometimes, just knowing you can see clearly when others can't is empowering in itself.
Supporting the Brave Decision to Walk Away
As powerful as these story structures can be, sometimes the realisation they bring is that self-determination isn’t viable. In these cases, the coach’s role can be to support the coachee to consider resigning. Leaving a job, especially one that provides financial security, can be daunting. But when the workplace stifles self-determination, it's an option that benefits from exploration.
I often emphasise that doing nothing is a choice. As such, resigning is an option to consider alongside a couple of others, being aware that a dilemma - "should I stay or should I go" - can present a limiting binary, and too many choices can lead to what Alvin Toffler describes as 'choice overload'. So, take a look at three to five pathways. Stories help to define these choices.
In the end, the stories we tell ourselves shape our reality. Whether it’s fighting ogres, building bridges, or unleashing creativity, these narratives can help us reclaim our autonomy, competence, and relatedness - even if that means making a leap.
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