I had coffee with a friend on Saturday – a guy at the top of his game professionally. He loves what he does and is very good at it. However, he’s fed up because he’s currently working at a place where others aren’t that bothered about their work. The atmosphere is flat, and he says people’s attitude is to do just enough rather than to excel. It’s getting him down and he says he just doesn’t enjoy going to work there.
The experience has made him realise how important it is, to him, to work with other people who love what they do. Without that, there is no energy in the workplace or passion in the people.
Reflecting on the best times of my working life, I feel the same. The buzz and inspiration of working with others who really enjoy their work is wonderful. Working with people who are unhappy at work, or even neutral about what they do, is draining and brings you down.
Great people who love what they do want to work with great people who love what they do. It doesn’t matter what the type of work is. And positivity begets positivity. It’s a virtuous circle. And one worth holding out for in our work life.
My friend has resigned and I have no doubt he will find his ‘tribe’ of great people doing what they love somewhere else.
My new book contains interviews with people who found themselves transformed when they switched to careers or jobs that were an excellent fit for their strengths and that they loved and thrived in. Some of them speak of how their motivation or attitude to their work changed dramatically for the better. Now they all love what they do, and it’s reflected in their great working relationships, and in their career success. If you’re interested to read more about how playing to your strengths can transform your own working life, and affect everyone you come into contact with at work, take a look at the book (see below).
Sally Bibb’s book Strengths-based Recruitment and Development: A Practical Guide to Transforming Talent Management Strategy for Business Results (the first on the subject) is published by Kogan Page. Find the book at the Kogan Page website.
