I’m going to go out on that proverbial limb to say this: It’s not about you.
No matter your industry, your line of work or your role, there is a broader picture that you need to bring into focus. It’s not about you — and that may come as a complete surprise.
We receive many messages throughout our work lives. Find your passion. Build a viable skill set. Learn from our mentors. Yes, we need to stay abreast of the developments in our field. Yes, we need to treat our careers carefully. That is all real.
However, there are other messages that we are not taught, that take years and years to figure out.
Let’s fast forward to one of those messages, as it relates to the topic of meaning in our work lives. (With a little help from Seth Godin.) Hopefully the message will take you beyond work role fit and help you explore another facet of work life.
There is a single question that must be explored:
Who are you helping?
What problems can you solve for that group? Career direction is just as much about acknowledging/impacting the needs of this group, than anything else you may have learned along the way. It is just as much about having real, bona fide opportunities to do so. This can serve as the fuel that feeds our work life soul. It can provide direction and meaning.
A few steps to start this exploration:
Step 1: Know them. Read (and view) anything available about them. Read. Ask your colleagues, your manager. Read more. Ask again.
Step 2: Know their problems and challenges. What are their obstacles of this group? In my case, I am often trying to identify the issues that impede organizational growth or excellence. Your audience may have a different type of concern.
Step 3: Be the solution. Reflect if an element of your career is contributing to at least one potential solution, for the identified group.
If these steps have been missing, you may be feeling lost. You may not be connecting with a broader purpose.
Work life should have meaning.
I want you to find yours.
Now go.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, where she currently serves as an Organizational Development Advisor at Gapingvoid. She is a charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program and her thoughts on work life have appeared in various outlets including Talent Zoo, Forbes, US News & World Report, Quartz and The World Economic Forum.
Marla Gottschalk 