What’s your labor of love?
In honor of labor day, Are you in love with the labor you give or what would you like to do that would give you the ultimate satisfaction?
Ever wonder why we celebrate labor day? I mean just what brought about enough recognition to garner a day of no working, a National Holiday? It seems New York city was the first to implement the idea of takign time off from hard work to relax and enjoy yourself, back in the 19th century. To honor hard work with a day of fun, food and family. According to About.com the day is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.
Someone must have been overly ecstatic with their job or so unhappy with it that they need a day away, to come up with an idea of celebration for labor. So which are you, ecstatic or over It? Channel your inner most happy thoughts and see if you love your daily labor? This quiz will help too:
1. Do I love it or hate it? When you think about your job, what is your gut reaction? Do you dread going to work or look forward to it? How do you feel about your duties, your colleagues, your managers, the location, the office culture?
2. What aspects of the job do I enjoy? In most cases, not everything is black and white. There are bound to be parts of your job that you like and others, well, not so much. Identify those aspects that invigorate you and think of ways to increase those responsibilities.
3. Why do I do what I do? What is your motivation? Do you find your job challenging? Do you do it for the compliments? Because it is easy? Because nobody else will do it? Take an honest look at your inspiration.
4. What am I good at? What are your most impressive skills? This can be a tricky question because being good at something doesn’t necessarily justify doing it. The task may be boring or no longer challenging. Is your preoccupation with this task eating up your time on the job? Are there assignments holding you back from reaching the next level in your career? If so, it might be time to delegate.
5. Where am I replenished on the job? What aspects of your job do you find fulfilling, challenging, or exciting? Where do you get the positive energy to move forward? Are there projects or assignments you’d like to try, but haven’t?
6. How can I replace the tasks I loathe with those I like? What can you move or delegate? Are there opportunities for you to swap with colleagues? The practice of “switching” tasks can breathe new life into a team, but it can also be unsettling to some of your peers. Work with your team, department, and managers to clearly define roles and encourage an open communication about job expectations.
7. Do I prefer to work alone or as part of a team? What works for you? Are you a loner, a team player, or a combination of both? And what are the circumstances you are in every day?
8. Are there groups of people I enjoy working with, and those I don’t? Look for ways to increase your interaction with the “good” folks and reduce your time with the drainers.
9. Is it possible to make these changes? When you do this brutal assessment of your job, be honest with yourself. What is holding you back? Is it you, management, your responsibilities? Are you able to effect the changes you need to be truly happy in this job at this organization? If not, it may be time to leave.
10. As a manager, how can these changes support the organization? This quiz is about you, but not everything is about you. How do your career goals mesh with the company’s mission statement? How can your newly designed job and responsibilities benefit the organization? Once you have determined the advantages to the company, lobby senior leadership for their support. If people who report to you took this quiz, how would they fare? Would the organization be able to support positive changes for them?
If you are 50% happy with your job today, work to increase those numbers to 75% or higher by putting a plan in place to affect change. Reference
Image
