Make More of Your Job

There is No Perfect Job

Recently I was having a one-on-one meeting with an employee to discuss her future at the company. The conversation went something like this:

"I'm having trouble finding the perfect job," she said.

My response? "And you always will."

The truth is simple: there is no "perfect job."

We live in a time that is filled with more information and opportunity than ever before, but we are also surrounded by the biggest threat the world has ever had to our happiness as a people: marketing.

Marketing messages bombard us on a daily basis, and these messages carry flagrantly hyperbolic messages about what life should be. As a result, we’re quickly being trained to always want more and never be happy with what we have.

Now, this quest for perfection has even pervaded the workplace. Employees are on a constant search for the perfect job. To many, this job would be low-stress, high-pay and allow for tons of free time. However, compensation is about market demand. Any low-stress, low-hours job would be in high demand and therefore would pay very little.

I hate to say it, but in searching for your perfect job, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. If you’re trying to find the perfect job, you’re going to find yourself running in circles. What you can do, however, is start looking for the best (not perfect) job for you and your life.

Finding the best job for you is relatively easy if you accept two concrete truths: that 1) it has to be an available job and 2) you have to be qualified to do it.  If you can’t answer "yes" to both these terms, then you’re setting yourself up to fail. 

You’re an individual, which also means that you shouldn’t let other people tell you about what your priorities should be, that’s personal.  A low-paying job may very well be the best job for you if what’s really important is free time.  Similarly, a job at an unknown firm may be your best bet if you’re looking for fast growth and quick upward mobility.  Neither of those jobs are perfect, but they’d be great for the right person.

Additionally, you should realize that all jobs are going to come with their own share of pros and cons. What you should be looking for is that combination, or balance, of factors that make the job fit best for your life. Simply stop thinking in terms of the “cons” of your job and start thinking in terms of “trade-offs." If the trade-off isn’t worth it, move on. But if it is, what you get in return it certainly isn’t negative.

By focusing on the best combination of factors for you and your life, you start looking for balance rather than perfection. I’m not suggesting that you should lower your standards. Instead, you should make sure they’re realistic.  Nothing is perfect in life, but there’s something out there that will be just right for you.

Book Report - The No Asshole Rule

As I mentioned yesterday, I try at least once a month to challenge myself with an opinion so opposite mine that it will force me to see the world in a completely different way. Here is a prime example of what I'm talking about.

When I first noticed the book The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t, I rolled my eyes. I was in an airport bookstore looking for something to read on a short business trip, and the book looked like it represented everything that drives me crazy about modern management guides.  First, it had a title so calculated and brazen it was clearly designed to sell copies.  Second, it seemed to endorse the popular idea that we need a “kinder, gentler corporate world” and I’m someone who admires toughness and brutal clarity on the job.  Judging the book by its cover, the book was not my cup of tea. Naturally, I picked it up and boarded the plane.

I have to admit that the author, Robert I. Sutton, makes some pretty valid points. His main hypothesis revolves around the concept that rude, demeaning behavior is demoralizing to a workforce and negatively impacts productivity. Surely no one can argue with that.  Sutton also displays research to support that negativity and bullying are far more contagious than support or kindness and therefore a serious danger in the workplace.  I found that I didn’t so much disagree with the book's position --  I just think that most of these ideas are common sense.

I was glad to find that Sutton also found room for a few chapters that highlighted the necessity of occasional strong or aggressive behavior in the workplace.  The inclusion of this information showed an open-mindedness that many topical writers avoid.

Overall, the book fell a little flat for me. As I turned the final page, I couldn’t help but feel that I’d been the victim of insidious marketing.  Based on the eye-popping title, I thought I was going to get a gloves-off, committed endorsement of leaving tough love behind. What I got instead was a fairly middle-of-the-road collection of common-sense concepts I could have explored for a lot less than $22.99, but with a really zippy title.

If you’re someone with a complete jerk of a boss, or work in a highly venomous work culture, this book might help you.  It does contain some solid examples of how to deal with these kinds of situations without losing your sense of self.  Similarly, if you are someone fighting your own tendency to be a complete jerk, the book helps you see the world through the victim’s eyes and offers tips on how to, well, not be an asshole. 

However, if you’re looking for a revolutionary idea or even a book that’s a challenging read with a few “a-ha” moments, leave The No Asshole Rule on the shelf.  Even though the book is a quick read, I’d personally have rather had the two hours of my life back. Then again, it’s possible I’m just an asshole.

Seek Out Dissenting Views

You’ve heard me say this before, but I always suggest that growth and development are key to career advancement.  Constantly evolving your skill set is the only guaranteed approach to getting promoted.  Many people, however, ask the question “How can I make sure I’m always evolving?” One answer is this: seek out dissenting views.

If your goal is to continually develop, surrounding yourself with people and situations that are comfortable or similar to you won't get the job done. Most of us are comfort junkies; the more we can surround ourselves with the familiar, the more in control we feel.  I like being comfortable just as much as the next guy, but I also believe that the quest for comfort has a place: at home. At work, however, comfort is a killer.

You have to intentionally seek out dissenting opinions that will challenge your world view and help promote change and growth. This may sound like a daunting task because many of us aren’t comfortable diving headlong into deep debates with people who see the world differently than we do.  Worse yet, many people who seek out dissenting views are unable to do so with a calm, open mind, which leads to arguments about winning rather than impersonal conversations about difference.  If you’re the kind of person who is unafraid to compromise or admit when your opinion is wrong, personal conversations might be a great way to get dissenting views into your life. But for the rest of us, there is a safer way.

I’ve found that the best tool to add different viewpoints to my life is, by far and away, reading.  When most of us shop for books to read, we seek out topics that interest us or ideas that would back up positions we already hold. To challenge myself, I try to look for books with positions I disagree with at least once a month in order to make sure I’m gaining new and valuable perspective.

When you're interacting with a book you disagree with, there is no chance of the interaction devolving into argument. Books don't lose tempers or become verbally abusive or passive aggressive.  If the book makes a point that you have to concede to, you don’t have to back down to another person in their presence. The entire process is personal and internal. 

It is seldom that a book (usually no more than one per year) will completely change my mind about a given topic, but I learn new lessons from everything I read.  Based on the fact that these books are authored by someone who views the topic completely differently than I do, by nature these books bring up thoughts I’d never have on my own.  Even when I disagree, the process is personally broadening. 

The key to successful interaction with a book is keeping an open mind and having a silent debate with the book as you read. The goal isn’t to prove your existing opinion right; it’s to explore the topic more in-depth than you would have previously, for better or for worse.  When you come across an argument that changes your perspective, you are experiencing a whole new level of growth and development.

Whether through books or people, the value of surrounding yourself with diverse opinions is worth its weight in gold.  If you’re really committed to challenging and in turn bettering yourself, start seeking out dissenting voices today.

Preventing Workplace Violence

On Monday I posted about acting in your company's best interests. Having pride in and passion for your company's well-being will only benefit you, your coworkers, and your company in the long run. In the wake of recent incidents of workplace violence across the country (the Virginia Tech tragedy not excepted), it is important to remember that we should also exhibit this same attention to our fellow employees.

The New York Times offers excellent advice (published a week before Virginia Tech, incidentally) on how to address coworkers who might have taken downturn. The common thread? Address the situation with respect. Your management and Human Resources department should have procedures in place to make sure that your concerns are addressed with care for all parties concerned.

How to Spread Career Passion

Passion is contagious. We’ve all seen this phenomenon, whether at a sporting event or a charity function.  When people are passionate, other people catch it. And when that phenomenon exists in the workplace, your company can’t be stopped.

Unfortunately, negativity and pessimism are contagious as well. In today’s corporate world they are often more readily available than passion. If your workplace isn’t as passionate and exciting as you’d like it to be, there is an easy solution. Start rewarding passion.

Wait a minute, you might be saying, I’m not in charge, so I’m not in a position to reward anything. But while you may not be in charge, there are simple things that any one of us can do to ensure that passion gets rewarded in the workplace.  The following are fast, simple tips that will ignite the passion in your office.

• Ask for a passion prize – Go to your boss (or company president) and ask that they create a passion prize.  Each month, suggest that they give a prize to the person who best exemplified passion on the job.  It doesn’t have to be anything huge, even a Starbucks giftcard could do the trick. They could say no, but most won't. Besides, you’ll never know unless you ask.
• Thank passionate coworkers – Jot a quick thank-you note to co-workers you witness displaying passion.  You’d be surprised at the effect a few quick sentences have, but it’s always worth the time.  The note doesn’t have to be complex; it could be as simple as “I noticed how passionate you were about ____, it’s really nice to work with someone who feels so strongly about our company.” Trust me, it will make a difference. Reminding passionate people that they are valued will guarantee that their passion will rise another notch. 
• Don’t be embarrassed about your passion – Sometimes people don’t display passion because they are afraid they will be judged.  You can be the trailblazer for passionistas in your company.  Start talking about how you're passionate at work. Say things like “I’m really passionate about this” or “that would be huge for the company and would make me proud." It wont be long before others feel free to follow suit.

Would You Punch a Baby?

Would you punch a baby?

I get it -- that sounds like an absurd question, but if you bear with me for a couple of paragraphs, I think you’ll see that it’s very applicable to the business world.

We spend a lot of time on this blog discussing the importance of passion in the workplace, and that extends to passion about your company as well.  Your relationship with your company is just like any other relationship; if it doesn’t exist out of genuine respect and mutual interest, the relationship isn’t going to be very good.

Despite the importance placed on feeling pride and respect for your company, it seems like an obscene number of employees work for companies that they couldn’t care less about.  Whether this is caused by some flaw in the company or just by the employee's selfishness, it is a relationship that is a disaster waiting to happen.

When people don’t care about their company, they begin misbehaving.  Just like any relationship that turns sour, it stops being about “us” (the employee and the company) and starts being about "me" (just the employee).  This change in thought process gets people looking for short-term wins over long-term benefits.  Rarely in a lengthy career does taking the short view pay off.

So what, you may be asking, does this have to do with punching a baby?

In many ways, companies are like babies.  They need to be taken care of because they can’t do it for themselves. Their behaviors begin to resemble those of the people around them.  Similarly, a company’s employees are its parents, the people who are responsible for shaping the company into the being they want it to become.  However, a company with uncaring employees may suffer in the same way that a child with bad parents will. Inevitably, poor influence in a child's life early on will only rear its ugly head when the child grows up.

When a company has a group of employees who are thinking only about themselves, the company is in serious trouble.  It’s just a matter of time before the short-term decisions of these “me”-based employees start tarnishing the long-term potential of the company.  Meanwhile, the company can’t do anything to stop this. The only chance for redemption is that the “good parents” in the company outnumber the “bad parents."   Only committed, passionate employees can take a company to the next level, no matter how good the product or idea the company has to offer.

Treating your company like nothing more than a vehicle for your personal gain is exactly like punching a baby. You’re picking on a defenseless creature.  Similarly, watching your peers disrespect the company is like standing by and watching somebody abuse their child. The only ethical response is to step in and intervene.

Being a responsible parent for your company is a big challenge. If you nurture and respect it, the company will return that energy many times over with added compensation, opportunity and growth.  If you don’t love your company, that’s OK. Move on and find a company that you can love.  Just please, under any circumstances, don’t punch the baby.

New Work Rules, New Work Problems

As our world evolves and our ability to connect while outside the office environment grows stronger, many workers are choosing jobs that let them telecommute.  This seems like a brave new world for many, where their time is better used and their concentration unbroken.  However, be aware that new rules about working styles also introduce new problems and challenges for the workforce and employers.

This article over at the Career Journal offers up some great advice on how to minimize the career risks if you decide to start working from home.

Get Your Ideas Out There

I’ve shared with you in past posts that almost all of the corporate promotions I’ve had in life have been positions that were created for me; I didn't take jobs that already existed. This is a trait I've found common in many successful business people I meet. Having a job created for you usually ensures a pretty good fit, but in order for it to happen, your company has to be willing to listen to your ideas. If you're lucky, some companies will even provide a platform for employees to submit these business ideas and give you a chance to lead their implementation.

However, many of us find it hard to get our opinions heard. Brazen Careerist has some great advice on how you can make your company’s ears perk up. Even if your idea is not implemented at your organization, you will find that practice makes perfect. Every time you go through the process of seeking out, researching, and presenting new business ideas, your skill set will improve.

A Workplace Lesson, Brought to You By Tax Day

It’s tax day, ladies and gentlemen! Believe it or not, paying your taxes can teach you a lot about yourself, including valuable lessons about your tendencies as a worker. To accomplish your goals, you’ll need a heightened ability to self-analyze and the willingness to alter your habits.  Let’s take a look at a statement surrounding tax day and explore what it might say about you.

"I filed my taxes"... Hopefully everyone reading this can utter those words, the last enemy any of us wants in life is the IRS.  If you’re looking to grow as a person, however, the question to ask yourself is “when did I file my taxes?"  If you filed more than 2 weeks early, give yourself an “A” on this assignment. If you were closer to the deadline, however, you might want to look a little bit closer at the situation.

Paying your taxes close to the due date suggests that you might be a procrastinator or a bad planner. If you paid late because you owed money and had to wait until the cash was in hand, ask yourself how you could have planned better. If you filed late but did not owe the IRS, ask yourself why it took you so long to file for the money that the government rightfully owes you. The answer to both questions will probably apply throughout your work and personal life.

Taxes are a stressful topic, and putting off stressful tasks until the last possible moment is a common human trait. It’s also one that can crush your upward mobility at work.  Employers look to promote employees who display grace under pressure, which means having to confront difficult situations when they arise. Procrastinating at the office can cost the company serious money, so if you did it with your taxes, it’s time to look at your habits at work. 

The good news is that acknowledging our counterproductive habits is a huge factor in the battle to get better.  Once you notice that you tend to procrastinate and have a desire to plan better in the future, beginning to change your habits comes easily.

Another question to ask yourself: did you owe money or get a refund this year? Your goal every tax day should be to owe $0 and get as close to $0 in refunds as possible.  Nobody likes to cut a check they weren’t planning on when they owe, and getting a refund means you let the government borrow your money at no interest for an entire year.

If you owed, or received a refund greater than $500, talk with your company’s payroll administrator about raising or lowering your exemptions to help you control that number next year!

Workplace Myths: "The Customer is Always Right."

Whoever came up with the phrase “the customer is always right” deserves to be poked in the eye with a very, very sharp stick. Obviously, the person who coined that phrase never worked in a service-based position.  To fix the saying and make it work for the modern workplace, one should say “the customer always deserves to be treated with respect." Treating a customer with respect, however, does not always include raising the surrender flag whenever they demand something from you.

I come from a sales and service background, and hardly a day passes that at least one customer doesn’t mistreat one of my employees or make a completely unrealistic demand.  I try to teach my employees that while the customer should be treated with respect and kindness, there are limits to what anyone should be willing to do, regardless of what the customer wants.

Not everyone is employed in a sales or customer service position; however, most of us deal with customers in some form or another on a daily basis. Customers come in two varieties: internal and external.  An external customer is someone who purchases goods or services from our company.  Internal customers are those in the organization  who patronize the services we perform at work each day.  If you’re a marketing employee, the sales employees are your customers, as your service benefits them as customers.

What people fail to realize is that neither of these customers can always be right.  Firstly, we are all human and can never make the right decision 100% of the time. Secondly, you are the expert on the service you provide and are in a much better position to be “right” about how things should work.

If the customer were always right, my product would be faster and cheaper. All of my employees would bow to the customer's every whim.  Obviously, that’s not the way to keep a business running.  When customers demand something unrealistic, or treat employees inappropriately, the only correct course of action is to respectfully reeducate the client and create reasonable expectations. If the client is unhappy about those terms, they are free to do business elsewhere.  Our job as businesspeople is to provide reasonable products and services for reasonable prices, not to conjure miracles or absorb endless abuse.  Customers who refuse to understand those facts should be quickly shown the door.

While it is never appropriate to treat a customer harshly, even when they are being excessively demanding or abusive, it is completely appropriate to refuse to do business with someone who you will never be able to please.  Continuing a business relationship with such a customer would be a recipe for disaster down the road.  Often times, employees are afraid to reeducate their clients and dole out reasonable expectations because they’re afraid their company will tell them that the customer was right.  If your organization doesn’t support you by drawing realistic and respectful customer service boundaries, then you should probably look for work at another organization.