Change Catalyst, Author, 
Speaker & Career Coach
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Archive for the ‘Career Satisfaction’ Category
Jobs, Death and Living Life
I recently lost my brother-in-law James. He was brutally murdered. You may be asking yourself how this morbid topic could possibly pertain to having a better, more enjoyable job? As a career coach and expert on job satisfaction, I provide clients with numerous tips and insights on creating better work environments; both in their current positions, and once they update their resume and move on.
In the year before James passed, he had lost interest in his work as a playwright and director. The glory days of being Off-Broadway and touring the country with a hit play were in the past. Don’t get me wrong, he made a decent living taking his plays to college campuses, but in this past year he just wasn’t experiencing job satisfaction. For someone who lived on his laptop writing compelling monologues, he spent six months without so much as cracking his beloved MacBook Pro open.
A Wake-Up Call
This man designed his own career. In the early days as an out-of-work actor, he created his own gigs by writing content. He hired and assembled the casts, rehearsed and directed them, sold shows, designed posters and sets, negotiated contracts, made travel arrangements, and worked in a profession he thoroughly loved. His career was actually recently highlighted by an entertainment reporter Michael Grossberg stating “central Ohio’s theater community benefited from his talent, his vision and his social concerns for many years.”
Not everyone is a professional actor, but do you find yourself acting in your current job, pretending that everything is okay when it really isn’t? Survey research indicates that 50% of working people do not like their jobs. CNBC reporter Christina Cheddar Berk recently wrote that as a result of the recession, many are rethinking their careers, and reorganizing their lives. Also, people are less likely to get a sense of identity from their jobs. I think this is a wonderful wake-up call because if the recession taught us anything, we saw that we can survive in difficult times. It has also hopefully taught us that there is much more to life than being a consumer.
Getting back to James. Here is someone who did pay attention to other areas of their life beyond work. If we consider work-life balance, he spent his last days on the ‘life’ part of that equation. And thank goodness for him that he had the foresight to do so, because now he will never be able have lunch with his friends again, go for a drive again, and work again, or do anything again for that matter. So my question to you is — what do you really want? What is important to you? What do you value and need? You are much more than a job title. It doesn’t matter if you need to sweep floors right now to earn a living. A job does not, nor should we ever let it define us. Go for the life you really want to live. Be open, be thankful, and live your life to the fullest.
Career Satisfaction – Is It Real Now?
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Having career satisfaction can be challenging, especially during what has likely become one of the most difficult times we have ever experienced in our lifetime. Employers are very concerned about sustaining their businesses. |
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Employees are also concerned about their own sustainability, but for many it can come at a cost. Career satisfaction is completely achievable though, no matter what your job situation is. As we enter a new decade, it’s important to recommit ourselves to our careers. Here are four tips to having greater satisfaction at work: |
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| 1 | Beef Up Those Work Relationships — review how you can improve and enhance your relationships with customers (both internal and external), your professional network, and your boss. Relationships can be challenging — but by accepting and even forgiving colleagues for any past incidents can help in improving your overall experience at work. |
| 2 | Become a Lover of Life-Long-Learning — take a fresh look at new things you can learn, both inside and outside the job as part of your professional development. Consider getting further education in an area that you are both passionate about AND that is something you can become gainfully employed in. Consider mentoring newer employees and sharing your knowledge — giving back is a key component to job satisfaction! |
| 3 | Get Really Clear on What ‘Point B’ Is — this is one of the most important things you can do, especially if you are long overdue for a job change, are under-employed, or have increased responsibilities. Get inspired about what your opportunities are and become clear about what you want, need and value. Knowing where you are going helps during any period of transition, because you will feel more empowered to move forward and take those first steps. Knowing your ‘Point B’ also opens you up to thinking more creatively about accomplishing your goals, what resources you need, and how to prioritize effectively. By focusing on your goal, you become more congruent, knowing where we are going, you understand the benefits. The journey to get there becomes much easier and more enjoyable. |
| 4 | Find the Humor In it All — it’s easy to get caught up in the seriousness of life. I challenge people to purposely have fun at work — everything doesn’t have to be so formal and ‘uber’ politically correct. For meetings, bring in Nerf guns or insist that people wear slippers, organize a Superbowl pot luck party, heck throwing a football around for a couple of minutes with a colleague or bringing in a golf club and ball to put into a cup can help you and your colleagues alleviate stress. |
