Just exactly what is Job Satisfaction???

I thought I knew.  I thought that Job Satisfaction was the chance to go to work every day and do what you truly love doing!  It is... don't get me wrong.  But I'm learning every day that it's more than that.

Recently I had a former client call.  Over the years he has called me and asked me to provide some interesting services.  A few years ago, he called and said, "I have to reduce my overhead by $100,000.00.  I need you to tell me who to fire."  Another time he called and said, "I am considering selling the business.  I need you talk to the prospective buyer and ask the questions I haven't thought of."

This time he called and asked me to compare the services and rates of several Professional Employer Organizations and suggest which one he should use to save money and provide appropriate services.

Understand, these are not the normal elements of my service offerings.  I have a degree in communication science.  I'm a performance consultant.  I provide executive and career coaching.  I'm a trainer.

So, why, when he calls, do I put aside my standard fare and help him with his projects?  Because it creates a challenge for me.  It's something I haven't done before.  And that makes it fun... and interesting! 

Then, the other day, our youngest daughter told us that she was offered a golden opportunity at work.  A woman from another department, in another role, is going on maternity leave.  Knowing that a "temp" would require twice the amount of time to train that she will be gone on maternity leave, she asked our daughter to 'temp' in her position while she's away.  Her thought was that the company could hire a temp for our daughter's role much more easily than hers.  Our daughter was thrilled!  She said she would love the opportunity to try something different, even for as short a time as 6 weeks!

That's when it dawned on me... job satisfaction isn't just about doing what you love to do every day.  It's about new challenges, different opportunities, varied experiences, and the chance to do something completely out of the norm.

So take the time to look for something a little different... something new and different!  It's quite possible you'll find job satisfaction there too!

How can you find your passion?

What is passion?  Excitement, enthusiasm, fervor, zeal... WOW!  How much fun would it be to get up every morning and feel those things?!  When was the last time you swung your feet out of bed, put them on the floor, and 'hit the ground running' because you felt excitement about what you were going to do today?  And it WASN'T a vacation day. 

Finding your passion is almost as easy as finding loose change in the sofa.  It takes a bit of digging, but it's really not all that difficult to find.

More years ago than I wish to admit, I was a public relations director for an interstate motorcoach company.  It was one of the best jobs I ever had!  I truly looked forward to going to work every day.  And why?  Because I got to work with other people who truly loved what they were doing.  I also provided a service by organizing wonderful get-away vacations for senior citizens who loved to take bus trips with groups of their friends. 

And best of all, I had the opportunity to provide a public service to nursing home patients by organizing day trips through the fall colors, or to view the spring blossoms for those individuals who may not see more than the walls of their hospital rooms for the rest of their lives.

I felt fulfilled.  I felt complete.  I felt useful and contributive.  And I was happy!

My passion is helping people.  I was a school teacher and a trainer.  I am a career coach, an executive coach, a business consultant to small business owners.  I love working with people.  Helping people.  So, each and every job I have had has been a reflection of that passion.

So, you're looking for your passion?  Take a moment for some self-examination.  Ask yourself:

• in each job I've had, what has truly made me feel useful?
• the last time I came home tired but happy, what made me feel that way?
• what do I believe success looks like for me?
• am I passionate about people?  service?  building things?  using my hands or my brain?
• what motivates me?  what makes me happy?

Make a list of the things that really excites you in each of your jobs.  Chances are, that's where you'll find your passion.

Core Values Determine Who You Are and Where You Belong

We all learn about core values at an early age.  I, for one, learned at about the age of 5.  I went to the grocery store with my mother, and upon walking out of the store, she discovered a pack of gum in my hand for which she had not paid.  Nor had I.  She promptly marched me back into the store and straight to the manager's office.  She made me apologize to the store manager, give him back the gum, and explain that I was ashamed of myself for stealing the gum.

On that day, my core values began to take shape.  I discovered that honesty and integrity are not only important, but are non-negotiable.  They became a part of my personal core values.  Over the years, as I grew, more values were added to my list.  And with each, I realized that in order to look at myself in the mirror each morning, I needed to remain true to what I believed... to the values I held dear.

Throughout my career, I have had occasion to work for businesses or people who did not share my values.  Initially, I thought it wasn't that important to share the same values as those with whom or for whom you work.  But I was wrong.  It is critical that values are shared.  If honesty is one of your core values, but your boss tells you to lie to a customer, perhaps stretch the truth, can you do it?

This is when the most important value of all shows up... COURAGE.  We all have values, the question is, do we have the courage to demonstrate, or more importantly not waiver from those values?

This is probably the most important question you'll ever ask yourself.  Do you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in?  Are you willing to admit why you "curse your job..." and discover why you won't go back?  Do you fnd yourself wishing you didn't have to go to work?  Do you get a stomach ache just thinking about going?

When Dad said, "the day you curse your job is the day you don't go," he made me realize that part of cursing my job meant having different values than those displayed or expected at work.  For example, I value work ethic.  So when I saw individuals arrive late and leave early without any disciplinary action taken, I didn't choose to reflect their behavior.  Instead, I knew I didn't belong there.  I knew that my value of work ethic would never be recognized or rewarded; it would never be the respected value that is expected or displayed.

So, this week, as you go off to work, ask yourself, "What are my core values?  What do I truly believe directs my behavior and  my choices?  And most importantly, Do I have the COURAGE to stand up for my values and beliefs and strive to find a job where I can display my values and share them with my co-workers?

May this week be the start of a new view... of yourself, your world, and your possibilities!

Have you painted yourself into a corner?

So many of us have.  After writing my last post, I began to think of all of the teachers I knew who thought that teaching was all that they could do.  They had such a limited view of themselves!  Now, think about this... a teacher manages dozens of children (or teenagers) a day.  They design and organize the lessons, manage the curriculum, facilitate learning, supervise and discipline the masses, manage their own reporting and record-keeping, communicate with their peers, supervisors, and customers (the parents) daily.  They are observed and assessed on a regular and frequent basis.  They are driven to continue their education, to improve their techniques, and stay current on all of the leading research in their fields.

Now, step back from that description of a teacher... if you take a broader look at whatever you do currently, you'll see value that can be applied to a multitude of jobs or careers.

So often we limit ourselves by thinking, "this is all I can do."  We truly paint ourselves into a corner!  Or we think, "I've been promoted and am finally making good money.  If I leave this job, I'll never make what I'm making here someplace else ."  Again, we're in a corner.

Well, it's time to turn around.  The paint has dried!  There ARE other opportunities out there waiting for you!  You have skills, knowledge, and abilities that can be applied to all sorts of other careers!  You have talents that can be utilized in a variety of other jobs!

You can choose to paint yourself into a corner, or you can choose to see the potential you have.  Take a closer look at the knowledge you have gained over the years.  Make a list of what you know, know how to do, and can do well.  Make another list of what you truly enjoy doing.  Then step back from those lists and look at them with new eyes, a broader perspective.  Today it's a new world.  Many businesses have dies over the past year because they had painted themselves into a corner.  But even more businesses have survived because they saw ways to apply their tools and talents in new and innovative ways.

You can do the same thing.  See your value!  Choose to step out of the corner and into a new career!

Teaching High School Was My First Career

When I was 9 years old, I announced to my parents that I wanted to be a neurosurgeon when I grew up. I was admittedly squeamish with blood, but knew that there was little blood in brain surgery and felt that the brain was such a fascinating organ, I could deal with a drop here or there. My father's response was, "I can't afford to send you to medical school. So, take your pick, you can be a nurse or a teacher. Those are your choices."

If I couldn't be a doctor, I didn't want to be a nurse, so that left teaching. Having enjoyed my Speech teacher during high school, I thought perhaps that was a job I could do. So, off to college I went to become a teacher... a speech and debate teacher.

Admittedly, I was one of those young, enthusiastic new teachers who marched into the classroom bent on MOLDING THE MINDS OF AMERICA! My first job was teaching in an inner-city high school in Rockford, Illinois. And although I loved what I was teaching, I soon discovered that teaching high school involves a great deal more than just teaching the subject matter at hand.

Teaching high school (no matter what the subject) includes being a mother, a sister, and a nurse. You are a disciplinarian, a life coach, a counselor and a guide. You will answer questions on sex and pregnancy, parenting, legal issues, divorce, abuse, and sibling rivalry. And then, some time during the day, you actually get to teach.

After teaching high school for just 3 years, I experienced my next lesson in "The Day You Curse Your Job..." On the 14Th day of teaching in my first year, I walked into my classroom to find a student holding a knife to another student's throat, shaking him down for lunch money! I was aghast! I raced up to the students and demanded that the perpetrator give me the knife! He did. As I walked away with the weapon, I realized that he could just as easily have put the knife through my hand as on it, and swore never to do that again.

Three years later, my top right hand desk drawer was full of weapons... knives, zip guns, chains, blades, brass knuckles, etc. I took the drawer to my Principal's office, set it on his desk and tendered my resignation. I loved the kids. I loved the subjects I taught. But I cursed the role I played in their lives. I cursed my job.

When I called my dad to let him know I had resigned, his response was, "Loving what you do is the key, but the next step in the process is finding the right place to love what you do. In Rockford, you may have been a good teacher, but the environment and the leadership didn't enable you to be a GREAT teacher."

So, rule number 2 is, love what you do in the right environment!

Dad's Advice still rings true today...

When I was 9 years old, Dad told me, "the day you curse your job is the day you don't go." At the time, it didn't mean a great deal to me. I mean, I wasn't gainfully employed, I wasn't even babysitting yet!

About 15 years later, I had graduated college, had a job, and was miserable. I called my dad and said, "I remember you telling me once that 'the day you curse your job is the day you don't go.' Well, I'm there! I hate my job! Does that mean I can quit?

My father's response was simple. He asked me, "what is it you hate?" I told him I couldn't stand my boss. He was egotistical, intimidating, and arrogant. He didn't appreciate anything I did, and took credit for my ideas!
Dad's response was, "I told you the day you curse your JOB is the day you don't go. Not the day you curse your boss, or your co-workers, or your customers... but the job you do. You need to understand that bosses and co-workers and customers come and go, but if you don't gain satisfaction from the work you do, if you can't apply your creativity or talents at work, then you need to find another job."

That was the day, at the age of 24, that I understood employment. I began to look at that job, and every job since differently. Since then, I have had several jobs. I have been a business owner 3 times! I have worked for others for as briefly as 2 years and as long as 10 years. I know what makes a job worth going to every day, and I know what makes me curse my job.

So now, I have committed myself to helping others understand the wisdom of my father. I want to help other people see the value... heck, the sheer JOY of truly loving the job you do every day!

So, today, I begin a blog that will hopefully enlighten and enliven others. My father may have died over 15 years ago, but his words will live on. Look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, "have I cursed my job today?"