Love what you do.
This straightforward wisdom comes from many different sources. Most recently, I gleaned a version of it from Robin Sharma in his video blog, “8 Things That Billionaires Do.”
Find out what you like doing, and find someone who will pay you to do it.
Sharma shared his belief that real success for YOU comes from the intersection of your talents (what you are good at); your source of joy (what you really enjoy); and the world’s demands (what people are willing to pay for). His premise: put those three things together and you’re headed for success. He’s not alone in that philosophy – Marcus Buckingham shares similar advice in his book, The One Thing You Need to Know.
But is it really that simple?
In an article in the April 2009 issue of FastCompany magazine, Po Bronson reiterated ideas from his book, What Should I Do With My Life? He definitely recommends that people follow their bliss and do something they really enjoy. But he also provides some important caveats to give us an instructive reality check:
#1. Be willing to make the most of a bad situation. Most of us do not willingly seek out change and transformation – we grudgingly accept it only when it is forced on us. No job is perfect (see the next point). The key is to approach job challenges with a focus on learning—to embrace the situation by seeing it as an opportunity to acquire valuable experience, skill, and perspective.
— Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis
#2. Every job has sucky parts. I remember one wise supervisor I worked with who reminded his teenage son, “Sometimes a job is not the perfect thing that fits your passion and purpose—it’s just a way to pay your bills and get you to the next step. And that’s okay!”
Po Bronson put it perspective for us. He said: “There’s this notion that you should love the mere act of what you do so much that just by virtue of it being Monday morning and you’re at work, neurotransmitters of joy will drip on your brain all day. That is not how real people do it. All jobs have things you hate about them. But real people feel fulfilled enough by the overall purpose that the crummy parts are worth it.”
This is the truth: Most people succeed because the joy they experience doing the parts of their job that they like makes up for the angst they experience doing the parts of their job that they hate. Based on my experience, you’ve got to be able to like at least 60 to 70 percent of your job or you’ll burn out.
#3. You still need a sense of purpose for doing what you love – you need a vision for how your work will make the world a better place. No vision / no purpose; no purpose / no passion. A clear life purpose is like a vocational “umbrella” that can encompass many different ways (i.e. “jobs”) to express it. For example, the life purpose “to help people achieve greater effectiveness and impact” can be pursued through a vast number of specific jobs, roles, titles, appointments or even assignments.
#4. It’s still going to take some hard work. Just loving what you do doesn’t let you off the hook! Every business owner I knew (before I started my own business) told me the same thing: “You will never work as hard as you will work when you own your own business.” I quickly experienced the truth of that when I started my own consulting business! Fortunately, I also discovered that it’s a lot easier to commit to hard work when it involves the things you are most passionate about. And thankfully, that turns out to be true for all of us!
It applies to your people, too!
So… How do you use this in your leadership role? The best way you can apply this principle (beyond yourself), is to help your direct reports identify what they’re good at and really enjoy; and assign them as much work as you can that fits that definition. They will enjoy their jobs more, and be a lot more productive—as much as 200% more productive, according to research! By the way…
There are other ways you can leverage your team’s preferences when you assign work. Check out Issue #9 of The Personal Trainer for some tips that you can use RIGHT NOW. You can access it here.
If you need help identifying your strengths and passions, we can help! Our assessments will help you zero in on your inherent talents and interests and enable you to find the right focus for your work and your career. We can help your people, too—we can equip your whole team for greater effectiveness in their work. Our engaging, informative workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions will equip and energize you and your entire team!
In the meantime…stay tuned to this blog and we promise to give you fresh insight and practical tools every week.
Until next time… Yours for better leaders and better organizations,
Dr. Jim Dyke – “The Boss Doctor” ™ helping you to BE a better boss and to HAVE a better boss!
