What is your work orientation? Job? Career? Calling?

Over the last two and half decades, I have worked with thousands of colleagues across diverse organizations. Although I was not equipped with the knowledge about Positive Psychology that I possess today, I have always keen to understand how people work and what are their intrinsic motivations to do so.

As a learning professional, I realized that the perceptions people have about their jobs often defines their relationship with topics like continuous learning, change and transformation. When I started to think about this post a few weeks back, I revisited the patterns observed by me over a period of time. After a bit of analysis and fuelled by a recent lecture on Happiness, I came to the conclusion that the work orientation for most people can be categorized into Job, Career and Calling.

A) Job

For people in this category, what matters most is the pay cheque at the end of the month. I noticed that for most of them, work is a chore, and they believe that they are doing it out of necessity. Quite a few people who fall in this category told me informally that they are doing what they are doing as they lack suitable alternatives. They do not have many expectations from their roles, and they do not look forward to what is waiting for them around the corner.

One of the things that I have observed with this group of people over a period of time is their tendency to drift away. Their marriage with their job is often an unhappy one, but they feel compelled to continue with the association due to dependencies. While it cannot be applied as a generic principle, I have also noticed that this is the group of people who are often most resistant to change and innovation.

Anecdote: TGIF, thank God it’s a Friday is a recurrent theme and many in this category appear to be at their happiest when they have a holiday coming up. I have always wondered if it is the vacation that make them feel happy, or if it is the prospect of staying away from work for a period of time.

B) Career

The principal motivation for the people who belong to this category is money and advancement. What drives people in this category to put that extra bit into work is the next promotion or the next pay raise. The key metaphor for work for them is ‘race’. Often the competition that they are taking part is with themselves and trying to meet the lofty goals they have set for themselves. I distinctly remember the days with the Management Consulting firms where the rhetoric that dominated the consultants’ imagination was run faster, reach higher and be strong.

Prestige and power are the cornerstones of expectations. While accolades and accomplishments are the driving factors to challenge the definitions of success. Their approach to learning is like grinding, where the motivation is to earn certificates and the recognition that might help them move upwards.

Anecdote: No pain, no gain and burning the midnight oil define these go getters.

C) Calling

People who perceive their work as calling are those who are motivated by the work they do. They consider their work as a privilege which allows them to channelize their passion in doing something that offers them great joy and satisfaction. They experience a sense of purpose from the work that they are involved in.

Their expectations can range from personal fulfilment to creating a better world. Their involvement with their work is not a chore or a race, it is rather an activity that matters most to them.

I have always aspired for people who belong to this group as stakeholders. Every opportunity to become better and get more aligned to their purpose is sufficient motivation to embrace a learning intervention.

Anecdote: What if? People in this group are curious and are open to perspectives. They are indeed those who fall in the purposeful working quadrant.

Do we belong to one of these categories all the time?

Personally, I have always been keen to see my work as a calling. While I have been exceptionally lucky that my career has provided me ample opportunities to work in the realm of Learning and Knowledge, I cannot claim that I have always been in the ‘Calling’ phase. It is logical that we will find ourselves at different points in our professional journeys, and the transition from one phase to the other can happen within a single day also. The three phases are not mutually exclusive, but we can define how we want to visualize the work that we do.

Depending on circumstances, it is perfectly normal that you may experience that your work feels like a chore, and you are driven solely by your motivation to the next promotion or pay rise. However, the choice is up to you to define what you want. If you want to move into the trajectory of calling, think of the changes that you can do to the work that you do. You could use the following two questions while you realign yourself to the calling stage:

• Do I define my work as purposeful, a calling?
• Do I feel privileged that I am able to do what I love?

You may also want to learn more about the concept of ‘Job Crafting’ and apply the principles in your life. Jane Dutton and Amy Wrzesniewski?have done some pioneering work to highlight how some individuals in the so-called unglamorous jobs have found a deeper meaning in what they do. Unlike their colleagues, they have developed a perspective that has provided them a greater sense of purpose in what they do and be happy for their contributions. Scroll down for the link to an insightful article on job crafting.

Conclusion

As we reflect on our work orientations—whether it’s a job, a career, or a calling—we recognize that these phases are not fixed points but fluid states. Our professional journey is a vibrant tapestry, woven with threads of necessity, ambition, and purpose. Here are some parting thoughts:?

• The Dance of Phases: Just as seasons change, so do our work orientations. There are days when work feels like a chore, and others when we sprint toward promotions. And then there are those magical moments when our work becomes a calling—a canvas for our passions. Embrace this dance; it’s what makes our journey rich and textured
• Defining Your Work: Take a moment to define your work. Is it a pay cheque, a ladder to climb, or a canvas for purpose? Recognize that each phase has its role. The pay cheque sustains us, the ladder propels us, and the canvas ignites our soul. Be intentional about where you stand today and where you aspire to be
• Crafting Your Path: Job crafting, as Jane Dutton and Amy Wrzesniewski have shown, allows us to infuse meaning into seemingly mundane tasks. Even in unglamorous roles, we can find purpose by reshaping our responsibilities. It’s like adding brushstrokes to our canvas, creating a masterpiece of fulfilment
• Privilege and Passion: Remember, work is a privilege. We are fortunate to do what we love, even amidst challenges. Whether you’re crunching numbers, writing code, or caring for patients, find joy in your contribution. Passion fuels purpose, and purpose fuels happiness.

So, my fellow seekers of meaning, let’s continue this journey. Let’s explore, evolve, and redefine our work orientations. And as we do, may we discover that our calling lies not just in what we do, but in how we infuse it with purpose.

Read more about job crafting here.