How To Get What You Want From Work

I really hope that you come up with the next TikTok, cryptocurrency or flying car. But if you’re like the rest of us, you’re probably destined to devote 90,000 hours, or one-third of your life, into your vocation before wrapping it up.

Work provides stimulation, socialization, and innumerable growth opportunities to stretch you to reach the potential you were destined to achieve. Unless, of course, your work runs counter to who you are, what you stand for and in the way of your fulfilment and self-actualization.

Some people love their work, some tolerate it, while others are miserable in it. With half of your waking hours being spent at work, your disposition at work, will affect your disposition outside of work.

Recognize that sometimes work is going to be difficult and that there might be times you want to pull your hair out. But if you desire more satisfaction and fulfilment from your work, you can have it if you consciously and proactively seek it. 

Here are some actionable steps that will help get you there. 

1. Discovering what gives you joy at work: For two weeks make a running list of the things that give you joy, excite you, and situations that energize you and bring out the best in you. Do the same for the things that turn you off. 

With this list, your level of awareness will spike, and you will have live data to better inform your actions. If the positive list doesn’t clearly outweigh the negatives, ask yourself why and what can be done about it.

1.Find the source: What is driving your sentiments about work? Is it the company, the job, the boss, or the work? – You must have a process to distinguish which factor is driving sentiments good or bad. 

• Is the company one that you feel good about relative to your personal values? A company can never please everyone and sometimes leaders need to make hard and unpopular decisions. But when those tough decisions come down, do you trust the leaders’ intentions?
• Is the job itself something that you aspire to do exceedingly well? If yes, you will enthusiastically seek new learning and experiences and carry yourself differently than if you’re just going through the motions. 
• How does your boss directly contribute to your job satisfaction? A great boss can make an average job great. A lousy boss in an average job makes the job lousy. But if you like the company, hold off leaving due to a lousy boss. Either they’ll get outed, or you should seek a different role in the organization.
• Beware of the career bear trap! If you are not genuinely interested in the type of work you do, proceed with caution. The longer you do it, the more specialized you’ll become and the more money you will make. Starting over is easier said than done especially as your financial responsibilities grow. 
• When it pays to stick it out. Perhaps you’re learning a valuable skill, are managing a team for the first time, or need to complete a project that will boost your marketability. Being smart about when and how to leave a job will benefit you in the long- run.

2.Trust your intuition: Successful businesses today value civility, psychological safety, and the power of collaboration. Is the general sentiment that your organization values its people? Do you feel it does? Organizational culture is critical to job satisfaction. Even with the best intentions, changing culture within a business is very difficult and takes time.

3.Learn to trust your voice: Be attentive to your surroundings and your role within it.  Whether you desire to be an outspoken champion or a quiet contributor, having a heightened situational awareness will lift your confidence and your credibility. 

We hear a lot today about finding our Life’s Purpose. Purpose is the Holy Grail, but the harder you look the more elusive it is. The search for the Holy Grail begins with discovering what it is that you truly want. 

Research from Harvard Business Review has found that 95% of people believe they have high self-awareness but that only 15% actually do. Begin with an honest exploration of who you are and what you truly value. Move forward positively, with an open and curious mind and your purpose will find you when you least expect it!

Taking conscious and proactive steps now, and as a regular practice, will help you build game-changing reflection and self-awareness skills that will enhance everything you do. The quality of your journey will invariably determine the quality of your destination. Enjoy it!

Tom has 64 years of experience being an introvert and underdog. He spent two decades working in senior leadership roles at Global Fortune 500 companies, across six continents, before discovering the source of his greatest professional satisfaction at a leadership retreat in 2007. His passion is helping others achieve their potential, beyond what they previously imagined possible.

Tom has a master’s degree in Executive Coaching & Professional Development, three ICF accredited certifications in Professional Coaching, Leadership Coaching and Executive Coaching. To receive Tom’s eight-page guide of tips for having more fun, satisfaction, and success at work, as well as gaining access to other free career tools, visit his website here: https://tomrose.coach.