For the love of the job
Like most kids, I had a variety of interests growing up. I loved sports, climbing trees, and playing video games. When adults would ask me, what do you want to be when you grow up? I would want to be a police officer one day, an astronaut the next day, and a professional soccer player the following day. When I look at some of my childhood friends, they are now teachers, lawyers, doctors, and musicians. Many of them are doing the jobs they dreamed of when we were kids. At the same time, some are doing a job to pay the bills but would rather be doing something that gets them excited.
Let’s be real for a second. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace, only 15 percent of employees are engaged in the workplace. This means the majority of the workforce around the world are either viewing their workplace negatively or only doing the bare minimum to make it through the day.
According to a 2017 study, 81 percent of employees would consider leaving their job for the right offer, even if they wouldn't be looking for a job at the moment.
It might just be me, but these stats
1. Are not that surprising
2. Make me sad
The data suggests many of us can’t wait until Friday at 5 o’clock arrives, yet we continue to take jobs that don’t fulfill us, why?
“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”
“WHY”
One major factor that leads to people disliking their job is they don’t know why they are there. The organization or leadership has not been able to connect the work to a higher purpose.
For example, a teacher’s primary function is to educate students. But the teacher’s purpose is to inspire students to pursue their areas of interest, passions, and ultimately become contributing members of the world in whatever path they take. For much of corporate America, jobs are all about promotions and the bottom line of increasing profitability. In my opinion, making money and the pursuit of money is not inherently evil. Money can bring a lot to an individual, but I am also of the mindset that if you can go to work at a job inspired and passionate about making a difference, and still make money, then you are going to be happy.
Environment/Culture/Workplace/People
A second factor is your environment. Many of us went to high school and then on to college with goals and ambitions of success. When we finally get to the working world, most of us are quickly introduced to the reality that our “dream job” or industry is not everything we hoped it would be. We are faced with the hard truths of company politics, poor leadership, bad communication, and an environment where companies value profit over people. Zig Ziglar said, “You don’t build a business. You build people, and people build the business.” People are the lifeline of any business. If you treat your people well, they will stay and help build your business. If you don’t, you’ll lose them, and you’ll lose a little bit of that company and that culture.
Humans operate best when we find meaning in what we do. When things matter to us, we often bring our best selves. I’ll illustrate with a personal example. I dislike painting. Whether it’s my child’s bedroom or the smallest box, I don’t enjoy the experience. I do it because I need to at times, but it doesn’t inspire me, relax me, or bring me any satisfaction. So, considering my lack of enjoyment, what do you assume the quality of my work would be? Typically not great. If suddenly I said I am starting a house painting business, not only would my quality be awful, but the people around me would be miserable.
It is one thing to be in a business,
it is entirely different when the business is in you.
Contrast that example with my mother in law, who loves painting. To her, it’s fun and relaxing. She takes an entirely different approach. She finds joy and satisfaction because she’s doing it with a WHY, a purpose. If she started a business, she’d be able to share her excitement and passion for painting with those around her. It may keep people engaged and provide a meaning to the work
“If we want to feel an undying passion for our work, if we want to feel we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves, we all need to know our WHY.”
If you ask anyone, most would say if they have to work, they prefer to enjoy the work they do. None of us want to hate our jobs. Everyone has different reasons for working and different drivers. For some, it’s money. For others it’s growth or obtaining new skills. But we all want to find purpose in what we do, our WHY.
People don’t buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it.