Building a Sense of Fulfilment at Work

Why do we get out of bed in the morning? Why do we go to work? How does work give us a sense of fulfilment?

In my view, there are four principles which when combined produce a complete sense of fulfilment, replenishing our energies whilst at work. Whilst going on a holiday and 'taking a break from it all' can be relaxing, if we are lucky enough, then finding a sense of fulfilment at work is achievable... in almost any job.

The framework (above) is something that I've noodled to help me visualise what I feel deeply passionate about, an analysis into what is needed to create a sense of fulfilment at work. Sense of clarity, sense of achievement, sense of belonging and finally a sense of purpose. Here is a quick breakdown of each of these four, often overlapping, component principles.

Sense of Certainty

When you feel certain that the work you put in has a positive impact on your team, and the experience of your customers, you will continue your day motivated and comforted through the certainty of your actions.

We also make more intelligent data led decisions based on our previous customer interactions. This can give us a greater feeling of certainty that we are delivering the right feature for our customers, and this sense of certainty is then echoed to our clients.

It is also important to be certain about the equilibrium of work, that things will be okay! I am constantly guided by the words of the former Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, who advised that, “You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don't care at all”

Sense of Accomplishment

Completing a task, no matter how small, gives us a sense of accomplishment. To stand back and proudly admire something that will help our customers have a positive experience.

Becoming experts in the tools of the trade help us become better in the craft that we have chosen. I am reminded by the words of president Barack Obama, who astutely observed that life's not about who you are but what you do.

Reflecting on the words of Barack Obama, we can tell that our accomplishment does not derive from our place in the team, but rather the work that we do.

Sense of Belonging

Being part of a team gives us a sense of belonging. A team could be the people in an organisational structure, or more broadly it could also be like minded people working toward a shared initiative.?

There is an entrenched practically to the feeling of belonging that clients can also pick up on, when your team members feel like they belong, they operate with an increased cohesiveness that can create a very important precedent throughout your organisation.

The way we work influences how our teams bond together. Ensuring we have the right diversity of thought and respect for each other’s opinions are foundational for building a healthy team culture.

Sense of Purpose

At the end of the day, we all want to help our customers. That sense of purpose that is only found by helping our customers in their everyday lives. Walking to work purposefully and driven, knowing what you are going to do that day, is invaluable to the feeling of fulfilment.

Leading a purpose based work approach, and finding meaning in the work you do, acts as a longitudinal predictor for both job satisfaction and career commitment (Duffy, Allan, et al., 2014).

When we find meaning in the work we do, and we do that work with purpose, you may find improved personal benefit and overarching improvement to team productivity.

You will also see that I've put these four senses in quadrants and connected them to Teams, Customers, Tools and Ways of working. In the next newsletter I will be able to unpack that in more detail.

Written in conjunction with Julius Whitfield