Do you Have to, Want to or Need to?

If you are reading this, chances are you have a job, have had a job, or will have a job at some point.

I would encourage you to consider this. Are you looking for a job that you have to have, a job your want to have, or a job that you need to have. Let me differentiate those for you, as I see them.

I'm currently considering the next role in my career journey. I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is also at that point in his career. We were discussion our situations. Both of us are at a point where there is no sense of urgency to grab a new job, especially the first one that comes along.

However, we both subscribe to "...an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction..." We are individuals who are used to being and staying in motion. Networking, working on projects, etc. are all fine, but we both want to jump back into our next big thing.

We are both in agreement that we don't want "a job," we want "the job." We have both had job offers, and have turned those offers down, because they were not the job that was going to get us out of bed every morning with a spring in our step, loving what we do and the people we do it with. It short, it was simply, a job.

I differentiate the Have, Want and Need as follows:

Have to: This tends to be a job you take, not your dream job, but it pays the bills. In fact when asked how your job is going, you may have actually answered, "well, it pays the bills." There were a lot of people in the '50s and '60s who took nine to five jobs to put food on the table and pay the mortgage. But they didn't inspire them or energize them. But at the end of the day, you got to got home and spend time with your family, knowing that they were well provided for.

There is nothing wrong with these jobs, but I would challenge to you find a way to express yourself in such a way that you can soar with your strengths and give noble definition to what you do every day. It will make going back tomorrow not just easier, but hopefully fulfilling.

Want to: When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a Forest Ranger. I love the outdoors and hiking, and that seemed to be a way to get paid to do something I loved doing. I have coached my two daughters, that their's is the first generation where our current society will allow them to monetize their passions. To find a way to create a position that will allow them to do what they love and to get paid for it. Wouldn't it be great to get up and get paid to do something you want to do and are passionate about - start a business, be an artist, make music, teach... and make a living that supports you and your family.

Need to: I like to think that this type of role is one that provides a living that allows you to support yourself and your family, it is something you like and want to do, but more than that, it is something that you are driven to do. It is a calling. In any other job, you find yourself exhibiting the skills and strengths you are compelled to and are best at doing. It may have been when you were a server at a restaurant, working retail, or as a coder; you were "the creative," or "the leader." Eventually, if you are fortunate, you find a way to respect and honor your calling by finding or creating a role that fills your inner yearning.

For me, and hopefully those I have worked with could see this in my every day energy, my calling, both what I want and need to do is this: I both want and need to lead (not necessarily manage), be a part of a team, build a culture and turn that into something that is not only profitable, but something that people gravitate towards, want to be a part of, and have loyalty to.

Whether you are able to modify what you do to be part of your calling by applying your leadership or creativity to your first job in food service, or if you are further along in your career and can find or create the job that fills your cup - that is the goal... something that you are compelled to do because it fills a need and gives you energy.

(In an upcoming week I will talk about how we, as leaders, can coach our teams to find, create, and identify their calling)

Remember, you should be "creating a cathedral," not just hauling bricks or even building a wall.