Making a Difference

I was asked a great question today.

A client, a recent grad looking for a job, started our call saying he’d followed my recent blog postings and just doesn’t get why making a difference at work is so important.

Well, I’ll concede that for people just starting their careers, this concept may not be as relevant as to those who are more advanced along their career path. But I do firmly believe that the “Make a Difference” mindset and service orientation are key differentiators in long-term career satisfaction and success.

To illustrate this point, I love telling the story about the three Stonemasons. It’s a classic fable about three stonemasons answering the question about what they do. The first says he is cutting stones, the second says he is building a wall, and the third answers that he is building a cathedral “for the glory of God.” All three men are doing the same work, but their perception of the work they are doing is vastly different. The third Stonemason sees his job as a calling connecting the work to a bigger picture and a higher purpose.

Does your job feel like cutting stones or building a cathedral?

I’ve found that professionals all fall on a continuum from being miserable hating their job to the other end of the continuum being inspired loving their job. 

  

Everyone would agree that being inspired is closely associated with passion, joy, energy, motivation, and drive. Almost every employee and coaching client I’ve ever worked with wanted more from work than just a paycheck. When exploring career options, the coaching conversation typically focuses on finding purpose, meaning, and making a difference.

The truth about careers is that finding inspiration might be quite hard. The secret to truly loving what we do and being inspired lies in learning to shift the focus of our work from self-promotion to being of service to others. Again, the key to more work life inspiration, satisfaction and happiness is passion, meaning, and making a difference. Loving a job has nothing to do with the size of a pay check and everything to do with the intention to make a difference. When someone is living a better life because you showed up for them and cared enough to help them change things for the better, your work becomes intrinsically valuable.

How can you get on the path toward more inspiration in your career?

The first step is to decide what kind of difference you want to make. Ask yourself:

1.    What do I care about?

2.    Who do I want to help?

3.    What is possible?

Please write and tell me about finding inspiration in the work that you do or contact me to explore ways to fall back in love with your job all over again.