Happy at Work: Strategies for Finding Fulfillment in Your Career

I'm delighted you're receiving my newsletter, "Tips for Career Satisfaction."

With each edition, I aim to share insight in 5 minutes or less to help you move from dissatisfaction to enjoyment in your career.

To ensure you never miss an issue, click the Subscribe button in the upper right corner above.

Last week, I ran a poll asking, “What is the biggest pain point of your career?”?Although the poll is still live, as of this writing, the top answer is lack of fulfillment/purpose.?My poll is neither scientific nor statistically significant.?However, Gallup has surveyed over 2.7 million workers globally across 50 diverse industries.?And their State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report shows that 21% of global employees are engaged at work.?

Let’s take a closer look at Gallup’s definition: Employee engagement reflects the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace. Employees can become engaged when their basic needs are met, and they have a chance to contribute, a sense of belonging, and opportunities to learn and grow. Employees are categorized as engaged, not engaged, or actively disengaged:

• Engaged employees are highly involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplace. They are psychological “owners,” drive performance and innovation, and move the organization forward.
• Not engaged employees are psychologically unattached to their work and company.?Because their engagement needs are not fully met, they put time — but not energy or passion — into their work.
• Actively disengaged employees aren’t just unhappy at work — they are resentful that their needs aren’t being met and are acting out their unhappiness.

In which category do you find yourself??A staggering 79% of global employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged.?This is why my newsletter exists.

To measure engagement, Gallup uses a proprietary formula founded on extensive research, as measured by the Gallup Q12 items:

Q01. I know what is expected of me at work.

Q02. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.

Q03. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.

Q04. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.

Q05. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.

Q06. There is someone at work who encourages my development.

Q07. At work, my opinions seem to count.

Q08. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.

Q09. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.

Q10. I have a best friend at work.

Q11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.

Q12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

A quick scan of this list informs us why the adage “People don’t quit their job; they quit their manager” rings so true.?If you are managing people or leading teams, this is an excellent opportunity to pause and reflect on your employees' engagement.?How might they respond if they were given this survey today??If you’re not sure, take the opportunity to invite them into casual conversations and meeting agendas.?

But let’s get back to you – how do YOU find engagement??

For the rest of this edition, I want to focus on Q03: At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.?

If you strongly agree with this statement, you believe you get to use your strengths daily. Your work inspires you, and chances are you inspire others.?But it gets even better.

In "Doing what I do best: The association between skill utilization and employee health with healthy behavior as a mediator,” authors Kaori Fujishiro and Catherine A. Heaney, with the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, conclude that employees who feel they have the opportunity to use their natural skills and abilities frequently are not only more productive but also happier and even healthier.?Specifically, the higher the level of agreement with Q03, the less likely employees were to report having poor or fair health, hypertension, or high cholesterol.?

Wherever you are on the engagement spectrum, how can you move in the direction of having the opportunity to do what you do best every day??

Here are three thoughts:

1.??Know your strengths.?I want to broaden or perhaps even challenge your definition of strengths.

As Marcus Buckingham puts it, “A strength is not what you are good at, and a weakness is not what you are bad at. ?A strength is an activity that strengthens you. It draws you in, it makes time fly by while you’re doing it, and it makes you feel strong.”

Please don’t overlook this point.?For years, I built a career around something I was good at, but it didn’t energize me.?

How do you identify your strengths??You are the authority on your strengths.?What activities energize you??What activities do you find yourself leaning into??

The CliftonStrengths Assessment (formerly known as StrengthsFinder) is an excellent resource.?One of my top 3 strengths is Relator.?People especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others.?They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

2.??Identify what part of your job you enjoy the most.?If you’re not engaged, chances are you can quickly rattle off the things about your job you don’t enjoy.?Even if you’re fully engaged, I’m guessing you could live without at least one part of your job.?But with your strengths in mind, what activities in your energize you??

At first glance, this question can sound similar to a behavioral interview question.?I strongly encourage you to be brutally honest when answering this question – not what you think you should enjoy the most or what your peers enjoy the most – but what energizes YOU.?

I mentioned earlier that I built a career around “strengths” I was good at but didn’t energize me.?However, I discovered that I found deep satisfaction in mentoring. It played directly to my Relator strength.

3.??Discuss with your manager what you want to do more in your role.?Have you told your manager what your strengths are? ?(Again, not just the skills they observe, but the activities that fulfill you.) Have you shared with them what part of your job energizes you??If not, this is a great place to start!

There is sometimes a reluctance to discuss these things because:

• It requires being vulnerable
• Talking about our strengths feels like self-promotion
• Talking about what gives you energy also requires discussing things that drain you.?And you don’t want to come across as a “whiner” (see being vulnerable”)

But here’s the thing.?Your manager can’t read your mind.?A great manager will proactively ask you these questions, but most won’t.?So it’s up to you to initiate the conversation.?

There is so much more to delve into within these 3 points, and over the next few weeks, I will do just that.?Please know that if you’re not feeling fulfilled and are part of the 79% disengaged, you can take control of your career!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of "Tips for Career Satisfaction."

My passion is to help you regain control of your career so you will love your work.?If you want to explore this further, I’d love to talk with you!?Schedule time with me here.