How to Enjoy your Work

Yesterday I wrote about knowing when it is time to leave your job. After all, life is too short to be frustrated about what you do. That said, I think we can improve our experience.

Today I am going to talk about how to stay in your job and have more fun.

Why is it - how is it - that in one company - one department - one team, there can be people who are happy, people who are unhappy, people who are engaged, and those who are not engaged?

Why are we content one moment and not the next?

It comes from what we give meaning to and how we define contribution and success.

I knew this woman who was so sensitive that unless she worked for and around people who were fun, fun loving, and positive, she was bothered and miserable. She found the situation intolerable. Here's the thing, most of us will work for many companies and in these companies we are likely to encounter a wide range of behavioral styles. Some will be fun loving and flexible, others will be reserved and analytical. Many will have a combination of styles. So if you LOVE the work you do one day, but then decide that you cannot work there any longer because the boss changed and she is not your type, then you are giving that boss WAY TOO MUCH POWER over how you define your work experience.

• Yes, there are jerks.
• Yes, there are micromanagers.
• Yes, there are absent managers.
• Yes, there is dysfunction.

You will encounter these conditions in most companies, some more than others. But here's the thing: Do you need to let this mucky muck define your experience? No!

I am not suggesting that you stay in a situation that is not a good fit for you. What I am suggesting is that you can enjoy your work where ever you are. First step: notice whether you are taking the work environment too seriously.

Years ago worked for a fairly immature and dysfunctional organization. At this dysfunctional organization, I held a role that was responsible for presenting new ideas. That's a pretty cool kind of gig. At this company, however, 90 % of the ideas got shot down because the company was extremely change averse. I would do the work, present my recommendations, get good feedback and reinforcement but nothing would change. I can recall someone asking me, after a particularly difficult meeting, how I was able to cope doing great work and then having it be wasted.

• 10% of the ideas were implemented. I was able to have some impact and more than others had before me. For this dysfunctional organization, this was pretty good.
• The work was the right work to do, even if the ideas were not used at that time. As a department head, I was responsible for making sure that the creative work got done and the decision makers had good information from which to choose their actions.
• I did not take the process personally and did not let it define my experience.

You may think that I was selling out, but in this case, I was able to have impact and drive change. It was slower and more cumbersome to make change occur, but I take pride in the wins I produced.

I see a lot of people who get so upset over stuff and I just want to tell them to lighten up. And if they were to respond that this is just the way they are, I would say that's hooey. We choose our response - our reaction - to things at work.

If it is time for you to move on, then move on. But I am betting that many of you could improve your situation by chilling out. And even if it is time to move one, don't waste another day being upset or frustrated.

Don't waste your time and contribution - your time and energy are precious.

• Focus on what you can do.
• Focus on developing your skills.
• Focus on the legacy you can leave.
• Focus on developing your team.
• Focus on improving business performance.
• Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot do.
• Don't drag others into your cesspool of negativity - that would make you a mucky muck generator.
• Focus on building relationships with diverse styles - especially those that are different than yours (you will learn more from them). If other people are not being cooperative, don't sink to their level - again, this is giving them too much power over you.

It is so much more enjoyable to work when you are not crippling yourself with emotions about what's wrong, what's bothersome, what's frustrating, or how people are annoying or upsetting you.

• Solve problems when you can.
• Create and implement new ideas when you can.
• Help reduce mucky muck and dysfunction.

Let the negativity go. Do whatever you need to to relax and chill out. By doing so, you can be a more powerful force for the company and your team. If you need to develop ways to release and relax, try yoga (I wrote about this on the Thirdage blog this week). But really, just taking a few moments to breath, relax and think about what you are doing before you do it will go a long way.

Sorry, I know this sounds a bit preachy, I don't believe I am above this challenge and I need to remind myself of this stuff all the time. I am emotive and a recovering control freak. And I know I am MUCH happier and effective when I don't let the crud and goop get in my way.

In the scheme of things, most of the stuff we worry about is small potatoes.