THE IDEAL JOB
The Sources of pleasure and satisfaction
The most significant source of
pleasure and satisfaction is probably the one derived from a sense of achievement that one may
experience from time to time. It is probably more relevant in the two phases of
life that consume most of our living years, namely the years spent in education
and later the years spent in the work force. The setting of goals, followed by
the charting and navigating of obstacles in the journey towards the goal, is
just as significant as the reaching and savouring of the rewards that lie at
the end of a successful pursuit; simply because, the largest passage of time is
spent through that journey rather than at the final destination.
This thinking can be used in developing
the notion of an ‘Ideal Job’, which
may unravel itself in three elements.
First, relates to the goals themselves, the achievement of
which will deliver the promises of pleasure and satisfaction.
Second, relates to the journey,
and is centred on the people that we
encounter in that journey, because it is the people and the interactions with
people that can leave our ‘Sense of
achievement’ either hollow or satisfying.
Third, again, relates to the journey
and the nature of actions that the pursuit
of our goals demands of us. These acts that we perform can leave us feeling
enriched and elevated, or, they may leave us empty and unhappy, owing to the misdeeds
that our ambitions may have compelled us to execute.
The Goals
It probably gets tougher with the
passage of time, the seniority that comes with time, and the survey of larger
territories and segments in one’s portfolio, to expect reasonable and
achievable goals. In a bigger picture this is probably driven by the overall
revenue and margin metrics that a future target stock price demands, and the
cascading down of those metrics into individual targets, which are often
unjustifiable and more importantly not worth arguing against, beyond making the
obvious understood. Yet, quarter after quarter, there is a large population of
business units that achieve their goals.
The ideal job simply provides a canvass for an individual or a team
to freescape, continuously innovating around future actions that will lead to
the over-achievement of goals, at least in the minds of the individual or the
team. This ideation and drive will fuel motivated actions, from where the randomness
and uncertainties of business life often start to influence a positive outcome.
Why, because winning and winners are spotted by the bounce of
step that they have as they execute plans. Partners and customers are often
drawn towards those that show a will to walk a path of enthused self-motivation;
they gravitate unknowingly towards such individuals and teams, often delivering
them to success. In work life, it is the lack of new ideas that makes us grow
old and youth-less. The ideal job ensures that individuals are devising and
implementing plans towards goals that may be seemingly unachievable. The ideal
job prevents teams from resigning to failure with drooping shoulders, walking
in the drudgery of work life, day after day, just because the goals are
unrealistic. The ideal job, spurs action and excitement which will hopefully
deliver teams to a roller coaster of events that then will have a way of
spotlighting individuals with the strongest chances at success.
Centred on People
Most egos don’t allow one to
accept another’s ideas and philosophy without doubt, a doubt that leads to
rejection through innate insecurity. This is probably at the source of
conflicts in the work place, and maybe just as real as the unrealistic goals in
the previous section. It is people, their remarks and comments that creates
stresses in the workplace.
The ideal job has an environment,
where the flow of information and ideas is unhindered by motives of self
enhancement that people often harbour. In such an environment the journey
towards ones objectives is in the company of colleagues, partners and customers
who enrich one another through positive interactions. The ideal job creates teams that are cohesive, teams which
understand and respect the roles of its members, teams that win and lose
collectively.
In any representative set of
people it is inevitable to have top and bottom performers. The ideal workplace
provides objectivity in the measurement and nurturing of talent at both ends of
the performance spectrum, a task that usually falls in the hands of an
important person in your work life – Your Boss. An ideal job presents the case for improvement and enhancement of a low
performance with reason and argument that is un-emotional, easy to understand
and with actions that are implementable.
Nature of Actions
What we gain and experience as
joy of achievement, can be enhanced or mitigated based on the nature of actual
actions that were took in order to reach our goals. If those actions meant
corrupting a self-conscience by acting in flawed ways, then the over-achievement
of goals, too, may leave us vacant and a bit empty. One doesn’t have to reach
the extreme of unethical behaviour to encounter this corruption of actions. For
instance, targets achieved on a foundation of dis-satisfied customers, is an
outcome of the nature of wrong actions. Or, the alienation of team members in
order to reach the finish line may be an empty achievement, most often
encountered in multi-product environments, where team members often drive
conflicting goals.
Wrong actions, usually manifest
in surprises that surface over a period of time in the cycle of business, like
the tacit agreement with customers and partners that becomes debatable in the
absence of firm contracts. The correct nature of actions leaves little or no
room for surprises, reducing the overall risks that a business faces. This is
critical, since in a quick evolving industry, there is enough risk that the
unknown thrusts upon us, making it essential for our actions to be true and
well measured as we move towards our goals.
The ideal job, is a complex topic and has many elements that
require thought and discussion. But, if we are forced to summarise, the ideal
job is the one that can become the best part of a person’s life.
