How Do I Find Joy in my Career?

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With each edition, I aim to share insight in 4 minutes or less to help you move from dissatisfaction to enjoyment in your career.

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I periodically change the LinkedIn background on my profile.?As I write this, it reads, “Find joy in your career!”?As a coach specializing in career development and transitions, this gets me out of bed every day – the opportunity to help people reconnect to that joy they once had – or in some cases, find it for the first time.

But I must confess; there was a day when I was highly skeptical of “joy” and “career” being in the same sentence.?After all, that’s why we get paid, right - to compensate for the lack of joy??I get it if you are reading this, feeling this cynicism.?I’ve been there.?I will ask you to suspend your disbelief for the rest of this article and consider the possibility with an open mind.?

What brings us joy in our careers can vary widely based on individual preferences, values, and priorities. Much of my work with my clients is helping them understand their values better, identify competing values (for example, professional achievement and family), and clarify their priorities.?While optimizing our career is a very custom endeavor, some common themes tend to contribute to job satisfaction and fulfillment universally:

1. Doing work that aligns with our values and passions: When we can work in an area that we’re passionate about and feel that we’re making a positive impact, we tend to experience greater satisfaction and fulfillment in our work.?

Let me pause on doing work we’re passionate about, as there are two schools of thought.?The first school of thought is “Seek out work you’re passionate about, and the money will follow.”?The other school of thought is “Following your passion is terrible advice,” leading to suboptimal career decisions.?I won’t debate that argument here (other than to say what stage you’re at in your career matters), but I will offer my opinion about passion.?If you can find passion in your career (and meet all your other goals: income plus the other elements listed here), then great!?Only 20% of US employees report being passionate about their jobs , so you’re among the fortunate few.?However, don't be discouraged if you’re in the other 80%. You can still experience joy in your career if you regularly pursue your passion in SOME element of your life (hobby, volunteer activity, family, etc.)

When it comes to feeling like we’re making a positive impact, this is non-negotiable.?Doing work that feels meaningful is a must-have for career joy.

2.????Feeling a sense of autonomy and control: People tend to be happier and more engaged when they feel they have some control over their work, such as setting their own goals and deadlines or making decisions about how they complete their work.?This is why almost everyone loathes micromanagers.

Micromanagement stifles creative thinking and creates unneeded performance pressure.?Further, it focuses on mistakes and weaknesses rather than highlighting achievements and efforts.?No matter how hard employees work, they never feel like their work is good enough. This makes employees feel humiliated, destroys their confidence and motivation, and makes them disconnected.?I’m sure somewhere out there; there is a micromanaged employee who has joy in their career.?But I’m yet to meet one.?

3.????Developing positive relationships with colleagues and clients: Positive social interactions with colleagues and clients can create a supportive and enjoyable work environment and contribute to a sense of belonging and connection.

Herein lies one of the pandemic's most significant, albeit least talked about, impacts.?Companies were worried about productivity.?Could we close deals without meeting face-to-face??Could we close the books??It turns out we could!?The virtual technology available to us in this third decade of the 21st century served us remarkably well.?But what about the conversations over lunch, to and from the café, between meetings, over the cubicle walls??These were the conversations where we discussed life: what we did this weekend and how our families were doing.?These were the conversations where community and relationships were built.?As impressive as Zoom is, we never found a way to replace this virtually.?Even introverts (like your author) missed the personal connection in the workplace.?

4.????Achieving a sense of growth and progress: When individuals feel that they are learning and growing in their work and can see progress toward their goals, they tend to experience a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

This can include ambitions about climbing the corporate ladder – but it’s important to note that it doesn’t have to be.?Growth and progress can also look like expertise – how can you master each process task, automating or delegating them where possible, to maximize the time available to do the work you most enjoy??Many people enjoy learning for the sake of learning.?And others enjoy being the subject matter expert and having people seek them out for advice.?Whatever your motivation is, there is always room for growth and progress.

5.????Experiencing effective work-life boundaries: A couple of weeks ago, I wrote “Drawing the Line: How to Set and Maintain Boundaries Between Work and Home .”?People tend to be happier and more fulfilled when they can maintain healthy boundaries between work and personal life and have time for hobbies, interests, and relationships outside work.?In the same way that we all know we’d feel better if we ate, exercised, and slept better, this doesn’t surprise most people.

So why is setting and maintaining boundaries so hard??What I hear from my clients (and have admittedly experienced myself) are three common themes:

• Fear
• I can’t say no
• What gets measured (work goals) gets done

These are just a few factors that can contribute to joy and fulfillment in your career. Over the following few issues, I will expand on each of these 5 points.?We each have unique values and priorities that contribute to our job satisfaction, and a coach can be a great resource to explore these factors with you and create a career plan that aligns with your goals and values.

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

My passion is to help you find joy in your work.?If you want to explore this further, I’d love to talk with you!?Schedule time with me here .?