So how often do you define your job as a position in a company that makes your payroll and offers you benefits? When asked what you do for a living, how often do you define your job as the title and position that is described on your business card and company org chart? Do you think of your job in the box that has been defined for you on a piece of paper appropriately titled a job description?
One of the most rewarding aspects of my professional career has been 30 plus years of doing the same job with 11 title changes, two company changes, and now a venture on my own. I count myself one of the fortunate ones who met and was mentored by some of the best servant leaders as far back as age 14. Mentors who helped me define and understand what my job would be for the rest of my life.
First things first, I needed to understand what a job really was and how that I would apply to my personal and professional life. I define as-
A Job- When your talents connect with your interest to provide a meaningful outcome that contributes to your life’s mission.
Great news! Sometimes with a strong enough desire to fulfill your interest, you can develop and learn the necessary talents to succeed. Where there is a lack of talent, inspiration and perspiration will abound!
Moving this from definition to application, I learned early own my job is to be a builder. A builder of programs, a builder of teams and a builder of people. My life’s mission statement is to have everyone I encounter to be better off for having met me. Have I achieved, absolutely not! There is no such thing as perfection but that does not keep me from striving to achieve in every situation.
What is your job? Maybe you haven’t taken the time to define it or how it relates to your current position. Having a job (a defined job) gives us a greater purpose as well as a more rewarding and fulfilled life. I can let you in on a little secret to help make this easier- a list of life jobs does not exist, so you are free to define your job however you want! Here are three question to help you steer in the right direction-
1. I feel / felt most accomplished when I…….
2. I’m the most energized when I am…….
3. I would like to be remembered for………
Many and most everything can and will connect to your current position if you drill down to the root of your interest. If it is still a bit fuzzy, maybe you need to ask yourself 2 more questions. Case- ‘How can I connect the loving and caring of pets to accounting?’
Drilling down on the loving and caring of pets as an example most times will lead you to a heart filled with compassion. Maybe your job is to show, model, and inspire compassion at work and in your personal life. At work, you can contribute to building a better culture by being an influence on all of those you come in contact. A misnomer is that the leaders build a culture when the fact is that leaders cast the vision, provide the example, and the team builds the culture.
Once you define your job, or discover your job, never quit your job!