Renae is a mid-level manager in a government department who completed a diagnostic tool I use around job demands as part of a broader leadership development initiative I was running focusing on psychosocial safety and job demands.

Her results showed below-benchmark scores across all dimensions covered in this tool:

This confirmed her own concerns about disengagement and low motivation in her current role. In her words: “I get little feedback from my line manager and have very little options to do more interesting work. I also seem to spend a lot of time dealing with people issues, which is draining.”

Intervention:

Renae participated in a structured coaching session focused on reframing her challenges and exploring work design and identifying what was within her control to craft.

What followed was a powerful mindset change from “stuff is being done to me” to “I have agency.”

Actions Taken:

Together, we explored small, practical job crafting tactics to address the lowest elements of the Renae’s assessment. Some of these tactics included:

• Gamifying: Process delays and rework due to the nature of her work frustrated Renae and reduced her sense of job satisfaction.  The more frustrating elements were “play crafted” turning what was an energy zap into a more positive experience.
• Building micro-recovery habits: Blocking 15-minute breaks in her diary with a reminder to “hydrate” created regular micro recovery habits, reducing cognitive loading and fatigue and making her job demands more tolerable.
• Finding stimulation: With a focus on improving the stimulating tasks within her role, Renae said yes to a new opportunity to mentor an external cohort, reconnecting her with a sense of purpose as well as feeling more stimulated by her work.
• Seeking out connection: After identifying the relational aspects of her role could use improvement, Renae decided to commute once a week into the office to strengthen connections with her co-workers. Reducing her time spent working remotely has vastly improved her connections and feelings of support and this is something Renae looks forward to each week.
• Sharing the mindset shift: She began modelling her change for others, saying she felt more comfortable and energised and was encouraging her team to adopt similar micro-changes.

Outcomes:

In our follow-up session, Renae described feeling more relaxed, comfortable, and energised.

She noted her growing awareness of how much influence she had over her daily experience even when broader workplace constraints remained unchanged. “I feel like I’m taking control back. I have good energy because of this shift.”

Renae has begun creating the conditions for a more sustainable and motivating work experience. One small, intentional choice at a time.

Reflection:

Renae’s experience shows how mindset and small but powerful actions can support meaningful change, even in constrained environments.