Turning A Good Job Into A Great Job
Why should you Love Your Job?
You spend over one-third of your day at work if you are lucky! Just like everything else in life, you need to enjoy what you do and that includes work. You probably already feel that while your job may have its ups-and-downs, it’s a pretty good job. However, when you spend that much time at work, you can do better than simply good.
Loving your job means being genuinely happy. It’s much more than trying to muster a smile. In a truly Great Job, you should be enthusiastic about your work. You should feel challenged by your job and you should have opportunities for greater rewards ahead of you (like a promotion or a raise).
Sound easier said than done? It can be, but you know what? You’re worth it!
You deserve a Great Job, which includes a great boss, great co-workers, great salary and benefits, great working environment, and even a great commute. But there’s a catch… you’ve got to actively contribute to your success and happiness.
"A Great Job involves work that you’re passionate about, and inspires and motivates you to succeed and to contribute to further success."
That starts with assessing your current situation and thinking about where you see yourself in the future. Once you see where you are – and where you’d like to be – you can start creating plans on how to make your job a Great Job. Then you can take action and start contributing to improving your worklife.
I’ve created a lot of resources to help you be able to turn a good job into a Great Job. Managing Up will show you how to proactively and collaboratively work with your boss – even the most difficult ones. Humanize Your Workplace™ is all about fostering an environment where people are happy and productive. When everyone is working towards that goal, great things happen, but it can begin with you. Humor is a big part of keeping it all together, even on the darkest days in the office. I’ll share tips about how looking through the Levity Lens will help your happiness – or at least make you forget your frustrations. And finally, I’ll help you keep C.A.L.M. That’s my way of reminding you to Communicate, Anticipate, Laugh and Manage
In other words, I’m here to help!
When I’ve asked my friends and colleagues to define a Great Job, they always tell me that it involves work that they’re passionate about. That inspires and motivates them to succeed and to contribute to further success. Great Jobs aren’t necessarily easy. There are always obstacles and difficult situations, but people who aspire to having a Great Job work hard to eliminate those obstacles once and for all.
For many people, the first “obstacle” they face at work is their boss. However, I don’t think bosses are the real obstacle. It’s when their behavior is hard to understand – or difficult to work around – that the problems begin. When you take time to understand what motivates (and challenges) your boss, you’ve not only overcome your first obstacle… you’ve created a strong ally towards making your job great.
That’s why I created the Tame Your TOT™ concept. Just as small children behave unpredictably, so can bosses (and so can the rest of us, to be honest!) By digging deeply into the most common traits that bosses and toddlers share, the unpredictable now becomes easy to handle. And by Taming Your TOT and improving your relationship with your boss, you are that much closer to having a Great Boss – and a Great Job.
After all, most friction at work is caused by misunderstanding and the hectic pace of the office typically ratchets up that confusion. When you are continually taking action to better understand your boss, your co-workers, and your customers, everybody wins.
I believe a win-win-win situation is possible at work: for you, your boss, and your entire company. Your boss and your co-workers are entitled to having a Great Job just as much as you are, so remember, we’re all in this together. Obviously, you need to respect seniority, other people’s priorities, and the way your team works together. But that respect comes from greater understanding and working toward a singular purpose…collaboratively. Friction and frustrations vanish and job satisfaction begins to grow. You’ve Humanized Your Workplace.
You will be happier in a Great Job, but so will the head honchos. After all, when you are happy and challenged and enthusiastic, your productivity increases. Turnover decreases when job satisfaction rises, and the team really begins to fire on all cylinders. That leads to increased revenue and profitability, which makes it easier for the company to give raises and pay out bonuses. That win-win-win keeps on growing!
I’d like you to take some time and reflect on this… “Is my job a good job or a truly Great Job?” If not, what can you do to actively contribute to your success and happiness. Remember, you should be able to say you Love Your Job. If you don’t, it’s time to take action and go for that Great Job!