Courage to Advance: Breaking the ‘Things Will Get Better’ Cycle with Aaron Delgaty, PhD

Jan 16, 2025

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Welcome to Courage to Advance, hosted by Kim Bohr and brought to you by SparkEffect, in partnership with The Empathy Edge. Tune in here every 3rd Thursday, or visit CourageToAdvancePodcast.com.

Kim Bohr and anthropologist Aaron Delgaty, PhD dive deep into the "arrival fallacy" - the pervasive belief that happiness and fulfillment lie just beyond the next project deadline, quarter, or milestone. Drawing from extensive research on workplace dynamics, they explore how four essential elements - continuity, reciprocity, purpose, and hope - shape our working relationships and overall job satisfaction. Through the lens of anthropology and organizational behavior, they examine why we fall into patterns of perpetually postponing contentment and how this impacts everything from team dynamics to bottom-line business outcomes.

The conversation weaves together insights from Gallup's research on employee engagement, real-world examples of boundary setting, and practical strategies for breaking free from the "things will get better" cycle. You will be challenged to have honest conversations about work relationships and learn why misalignment isn't always about bad management.

To access the episode transcript, please search for the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

Having honest conversations with yourself and others is crucial for maintaining healthy working relationships
The four essential elements of working relationships are: continuity, reciprocity, purpose, and hope
Setting clear boundaries is vital for sustainable work practices and personal wellbeing
Misalignment in work relationships isn't always about bad management - sometimes it's about fit
Even introverts need to talk about workplace challenges to create positive change

"The arrival fallacy is like balancing on a one-legged stool of hope. You might maintain it temporarily, but you're operating on an unsustainable promise of 'someday.'" - Aaron Delgaty, PhD

About Aaron Delgaty, PhD

Aaron Delgaty, PhD, is a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer. He received his doctorate in cultural anthropology from the Univeristy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. His research explores what shapes worker and workplace resilience and how resilience resists, crumbles, or reforms in the aftermath of personal and collective disaster. In addition to teaching research methods and anthropological theory, Aaron leads research for brand strategy agency TSC.

About SparkEffect

SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatest asset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.

Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.

Connect with Aaron Delgaty, PhD

The anthropology of work: aarondelgaty.com

TSC: tsc.chat

Aaron’s Book: Working Relationships: Crisis and resilience at the heart of employee experience

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adelgaty

Connect with Kim Bohr and SparkEffect

SparkEffect: sparkeffect.com

Courage to Advance recording and resources:

sparkeffect.com/courage-to-advance-podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/sparkeffect

LinkedIn for Kim Bohr: linkedin.com/in/kimbohr