What is the point of spending the majority of Monday through Friday miserable? Can you believe that 70% of people in the US are not engaged in their work? That is a Gallup statistic that has not changed for over fifteen years. The statistic actually says that only 30% of people are engaged at work. In my thoughts, if you are not engaged at work, you’ve gotta be miserable. It’s gotta be clock watching and slow. So, if you feel that, do something about it. Stop wasting time. There is work out there that would light you up and give you more energy for all the things you do outside of work. If you are a disengaged worker, this blog is for you. And if you are a leader of people (in any form), this blog is for you.
Take initiative to find meaningful work. If you are not happy and energized by the work you are doing and don’t feel full of purpose, start soul searching and exploring options. One option is to go to your boss and let he/she know how you feel and see if there is a shift that can be made for you in the company. Otherwise, spend some time in introspection, defining who you are and what you want (there are a lot of experts who provide professional services to help with this). Then, take some time to interview and get a feel for what is out there and where you can really pour your energy into and gain energy back!
If you are a leader (even an accidental leader) listen up! By the way, accidental leaders are ones who blame their leadership challenges on, “I never signed up for this.”
Leaders, our number one job is to help our people to thrive. In order to do this, we need to make sure we have the right people doing the right things that they enjoy and will excel at. We clearly need to understand each individual’s why – the thing that makes that person care. Now, do everything in your power to tie the individual’s why to the company why. Understand how the company fuels their why and always work to do more of this.
These are the basics. Figure out how you champion more meaningful work and promote new impactful behaviors that benefit the company and the individual.
