DO MORE OF THE WORK YOU LOVE
I’ll never forget when an HR leader told me that we should expect to dislike 30% of our jobs, especially if we were leaders.
He wasn’t talking about the occasional shoulder shrug or meeting-doze, he meant real dislike. It was the price to pay.
That equals about 70 days, every year, of not feeling our best at work. That expectation shocked me – does it shock you?
In 1985, sociologists defined how Americans view their work. Some saw work as a job: a way to pay the bills. Others saw work as a career to be sacrificed for, a way to achieve status. The remainder viewed work as a calling, or being compelled to find fulfillment.
Whatever work represents for you, it’s unlikely that every moment of your week is sprinkled with fairy dust. But, must we accept that we will not, or should not, gain positive benefits from such a significant part of our life?
The short answer is no! And, thankfully, “job crafting” is here to help.
“Job crafting” is a concept created by Jane E Dutton and Amy Wrzesniewski, and describes how we can shape job descriptions by aligning them to fit our needs, values and preferences.
Sounds like organized chaos? Not necessarily.
Job crafting doesn’t give a free pass to watch Netflix all day or to join your CEOs Zoom calls! It’s about customizing your role to align with your passions and skills to benefit you and your organization. Jobs can be crafted by removing or adding tasks, creating different relationships and/or assigning different meaning to our work.
Research examples include a corporate auditor who used her passion for crime novels to solve a work challenge, fitness trainers who led classes in prisons and a teacher weaving his love for rock music into his lessons.
So, if you’re looking to get the spark back into your job, here are three ways to begin:
Decide what lights you up.
Job crafting means getting clear on the work you want to do more of and the way you do it. And, only you know how that feels.
Start by reflecting on your career. We’ve all had moments we’d rather forget: mistakes, challenges, disappointments. However, I guarantee that you’ve also had experiences where you felt alive, helpful, or satisfied. Name those feelings, and remember the elements of the experiences that helped you feel that way. What do you want more of?
Think beyond your job title.
A compliance director once told me that she sometimes missed her career as a project leader. She didn’t want to leave her current role, but was still passionate about creating systems to help people. She saw how to help her company improve its project issues but felt it wasn’t her place to get involved.
When we “job craft”, it’s natural to worry about stepping on others’ toes. Try not to let your title stop you from being curious and collaborative. Perhaps you could add your passion and experience to a committee, or in a casual “advisory” capacity?
Open yourself up to the different ways you can get involved: you may be surprised at the good you can do.
Help your leader to help you.
If you want to “job craft,” you don’t need the perfect plan before you speak with your leader, but they will appreciate learning:
Why you’re passionate about the work you want to do more of
How it will help the business’ goals
What you need to do it
So, before talking, decide what you need. Would flexibility help, so you can join that volunteer meeting? Permission to start a project? Budget to retrain skills?
Your organization may not be able to give you exactly what you need right away. However, a good leader will welcome the opportunity to learn more about your passions – your conversation will be a gift because they’ll know how to help you grow and contribute. Take a breath and be open to the opportunities that come up.
Job crafting isn’t “woo-woo”—far from it. It has been proven to boost employee happiness, engagement, employability and performance.
We have one life to live – doing more of the work we love isn’t selfish; it benefits everyone. What’s stopping you from trying?
This article was written for Twin Cities Business: see it live here.
I’m Laura Best, a motivational keynote speaker and bestselling author. I help organisations activate passion to drive energy, engagement, and performance through my Practical Inspiration® approach. If you’re thinking about how this conversation could support your leaders or teams, you can learn more about my keynote work here.