Infrastructure Management

Your Ideal Job

I have read that something like 70% of workers report that

they do not like their jobs. And a look at the personal and

career development sections of any bookstore will show many

titles that state that you can “Love what you do,” or that

you can find your authentic career between the covers of

the book.

Is it true, that the majority of us do not like our work? I

think that most of us, given the chance, would choose to

have more leisure time, perhaps more adventure, sometimes

more pay, or whatever grass looks greener at the time. I

also think that it is socially acceptable to complain about

our work, and that this provides a necessary outlet to

reduce the stress that many of us feel as we juggle the

many demands of modern day existence. Work is generally

demanding, and we naturally would like to have some relief

from those demands.

Back to the point- is there an ideal job, and what would it

look like? Taking away the demands and the complaints, just

how bad, or good, is your current job for you at this

point? How might you analyze your job to determine the fit

with what you want and need in your work?

Ideal Work Day Exercise

One method that can provide a valuable perspective is an

exercise that I call “My Ideal Work Day.” Basically, you

read through the questions and let them sit in your mind

for a day or so. Then, finding a comfortable, quiet place

to sit and reflect, you answer these questions. Writing out

at least short answers is a very helpful part of this

process, as this will bring your entire awareness to the

activity.

The questions are, in part:

• What time of day is it?

• Describe the place where you work.

• Who are the people you come in contact with?

• How are you dressed?

• What is the very first thing you do every day at

work?

• What skills and talents will you use today?

• Will you sit at a desk? If so, what is on the desk?

• Is the job predictable or frequently changing?

• Is the pace fast or slow?

• Will you be working alone, as part of a team, or

both?

• Describe your supervisor’s style.

• Will you stay in the same location most of your

day, or travel?

• When you think of your work, what words come to

mind?

• What passions, interests, or values are part of

your work?

• What motivators are present in your work?

(Achievement, recognition, etc.)

• What are some of the challenges that you face in

your work?

• How are you compensated for your work?

• What are some of the benefits that you bring to the

organization?

• How do you feel after your work day?

• How do you feel when its time for the next work

day?

• Compare with your present job

Once finished with the exercise, you can then compare

your ‘ideal’ work day with your actual job conditions. This

self test can be very revealing, and often quite

surprising. My clients frequently report that once they

have done this exercise, they can see their work in a new

way, and begin to think about how they might make small or

large changes to improve their relationship with their

work.

Motivators

One of the questions in the exercise asks about motivators.

A lot of research has been done in this area, starting back

in the 1930s. The results reported back then are very

similar to the results observed by Frederick Herzberg in

the 1950s and by others today, that the strongest motivator

we have in the workplace is recognition, followed by

interesting work and the chance for advancement. If these

important motivators are not present in some way in your

work, then you are likely to be unsatisfied with that job.

Surprisingly, salary is down on the list of motivators.

This may be due to the theory that “expenses rise to meet

income.” This may also explain the phenomenon of lottery

winners and their difficulties, and reinforce the old

saying that: “Money can’t buy happiness.”

Jobs and personal vision

In one of my earlier articles for this publication, I

talked about the concept of personal vision. To briefly

recap, if you have a vision for yourself, a picture of what

you want to be in the future, then the day-to-day realities

of your job take on a different aspect. A job is then more

of a means to an end, and you will focus less on

the “grind” and more on how you are doing relative to your

vision.

Summary

Doing exercises such as “My Ideal Work Day” can be very

helpful, to evaluate the characteristics of your current

job against what you would like them to be.

Einstein or Edison or someone said something like 'Enjoying

your job is like being on vacation everyday'.