6 Ways To Find Work You Love by Roman Krznaric

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 3

6 Ways To Find Work You Love

by Roman Krznaric

The idea of fulfilling work--a job that reflects our passions, talents and values--is a modern
invention. Open Dr. Johnson's celebrated Dictionary, published in 1755, and the word
"fulfilment' doesn't even appear. But today our expectations are higher, which helps explain
why job satisfaction has declined to a record low of 47 percent in the U.S., and is even lower
in Europe.
If you count yourself amongst those who are unhappy in their job, or at least have that
occasional niggling feeling that your work and self are out of alignment, how are you
supposed to go about finding a meaningful career? What does it take to overcome the fear
of change and negotiate the labyrinth of choices, especially in tough economic times?
Here are six pieces of essential wisdom drawn from some of the best brains in the field.
1. Confusion is perfectly normal
First, a consoling thought: being confused about career choice is perfectly normal and utterly
understandable. In the pre-industrial period there were around thirty standard trades--you
might decide to be a blacksmith or a barrel-maker--but now career websites list over 12,000
different jobs. The result? We can become so anxious about making the wrong choice that
we end up making no choice at all, staying in jobs that we have long grown out of.
Psychologist Barry Schwartzcalls this the "paradox of choice': too many options can lead to
decision paralysis, and we are like rabbits caught in the headlights.
Then add to this our built-in aversion to risk. Human beings tend to exaggerate everything
that could possibly go wrong, or as Nobel Prize winning psychologistDaniel Kahneman says,
"we hate losing twice as much as we love winning,' whether at the casino table or when
making career choices. So our brains are not well calibrated for daring to change profession.
We need to recognize that confusion is natural, and get ready to move beyond it.
2. Beware of personality tests
Many people are enticed by personality tests, which claim to be able to assess your
character, and then point you towards a job that is just right for you. It's a reassuring idea,
but the evidence for their usefulness is flimsy. Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the
world's most popular psychometric test, which places you in one of sixteen personality types.
Despite its ubiquity, the Myers-Briggs has been widely criticised by professional
psychologists for over three decades, partly due to its lack of reliability. If you retake the test
after five weeks, there is around a 50 percent chance that you will be placed into a different
personality category than you were the first time.

Moreover, according to Marshall University psychologist David Pittenger, there is "no


evidence to show a positive relation between [a person's Myers-Briggs] type and success
within an occupation...nor is there any data to suggest that specific types are more satisfied
within specific occupations than are other types.' He advises "extreme caution in its
application as a counselling tool.'
So don't let any anyone tell you what you can and can't be on the basis of a personality
pigeon-hole they want to put you in.
3. Aim to be a wide achiever, not a high achiever
For over a century, Western culture has been telling us that the best way to use our talents
and be successful is to specialize and become a high achiever, an expert in a narrow
field--say a corporate tax accountant or an anesthetist.
But an increasing number of people feel that this approach fails to cultivate the many sides
of who they are. For them, it makes more sense to embrace the idea of being a "wide
achiever' rather than a high achiever. Take inspiration from Renaissance generalists like
Leonardo da Vinci, who would paint one day, then do some mechanical engineering,
followed by a few anatomy experiments on the weekend.
Today this is called being a "portfolio worker,' doing several jobs simultaneously and often
freelance. Management thinker Charles Handy says this is not just a good way of spreading
risk in an insecure job market, but is an extraordinary opportunity made possible by the rise
of opportunities for flexible work: "For the first time in the human experience, we have a
chance to shape our work to suit the way we live instead of our lives to fit our work. We
would be mad to miss the chance.'
Ask yourself this: What would being a wide achiever encompass for me?
4. Find where your values and talents meet
The wisest single piece of career advice was proffered 2,500 years ago when Aristotle
declared, "Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation.'
And he would surely endorse contemporary research findings showing that those pursuing
money and status are unlikely to feel fulfilled: theMercer Global Engagement Scale places
"base pay' as only number seven out of 12 factors predicting job satisfaction.
The best alternative, says Harvard's Howard Gardner, is to find an ethical career, focused on
values and issues that matter to you, and which also allows you to do what you're really
good at. That might sound like a luxury when there are long lines at job centers. But
consider that in the 34 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and
Development, the social enterprise sector, in which organizations strive not only to make
profits but also to improve social and environmental conditions,is growing 250 percent faster
than the rest of the economy.
So imagine yourself in three parallel universes, in each of which you can spend next year
trying a job in which your talents meet the needs of the world. What three jobs would you be
excited to try?
5. Act first, reflect later
The biggest mistake people make when changing careers is to follow the traditional "plan

then implement' model. You draw up lists of personal strengths, weaknesses, and ambitions,
then match your profile to particular professions; at that point you start sending out
applications. But there's a problem: it typically doesn't work. You might find a new job, but
despite your expectations, it is unlikely to be fulfilling.
Ask successful career changers how to overcome the fear and most say that in the end you
have to stop thinking and just do it.
We need to turn this model on its head. As I explain in this video, instead of thinking then
acting, we should act first and reflect later by trying out jobs in the real world, for example by
shadowing, interning, or volunteering, testing out careers through experiential learning.
Laura van Bouchout gave herself the thirtieth birthday present of spending a whole year
trying thirty different jobs--a kind of "radical sabbatical.' She was manager of a cat hotel,
then shadowed an Member of the European Parliament, and found that working in
advertising was unexpectedly exhilarating.
But don't think that you have to resign on Monday morning to try this. Rather, you can
pursue "branching projects'--what organisational behaviour expertHerminia Ibarra calls
"temporary assignments"--on the side of your existing job. Disenchanted with banking? Then
try teaching yoga or doing freelance web design on the weekends. Such small experiments
can give you the courage to make big--and well-informed--changes.
Challenge yourself: What is your first branching project going to be? And what is the very
first step you can take towards making it happen?
6. Discover a little madness
Changing careers is a frightening prospect: of those who want to leave their jobs,around half
are too afraid to take the plunge. But ultimately, there is no avoiding the fact that it is a risk.
Ask successful career changers how to overcome the fear and most say the same thing: in
the end you have to stop thinking and just do it. That may be why nearly all cultures have
recognized that to live a meaningful and vibrant existence, we need to take some
chances--or else we might end up looking back on our lives with regret.
"Carpe diem," advised the Roman poet Horace: seize the day before it is too late. "If not
now, when?' said the rabbinical sage Hillel the Elder. Personally, I like the way Zorba the
Greek puts it: "A man needs a little madness, or else he never dares to cut the rope and be
free.'
It is only by treating our working lives as an ongoing experiment that we will be able to find a
job that is big enough for our spirits.

You might also like