Change the way you look at your work
How many Mondays do you wake up scared of turning your computer on? A Gallup poll made on April 2017 (and updated on August 2022) shows that 65% of the US employees are not engaged and neither like nor dislike their job. We are not in US, but still I think we can have similar statistics...
So how can you transform your job into your dream job? How can you Make IT happen? (yes please let me use our Sprint payoff!)
Let others discover your value
Acknowledge your emotional needs, and at the same time embrace a growth mindset, which allows you to transform feedback into growth opportunities. If you want to be appreciated, you also need to understand and communicate how you prefer acknowledgment (like a global mention in Sorint Stars, or a simple private message). Request what you need with examples of positive performance, fostering a balanced relationship, and if you feel you are under-appreciated, assess your contributions, seek recognition and negotiate for what you deserve,
Align your strength with Sprint values
First of all, you need to be aware of what your strength are. A way to discover your strengths is to use the SIGN (as Marcus Buckingham says in his book Go put your strengths to work):
- Success: what you're skilled at,
- Instinct tasks you're drawn to,
- Growth: activities that stimulate and captivate, and
- Need: tasks satisfying post-completion. Strengths are not vague: they're activities bringing fulfillment. Aligning your strengths with the Sprint goal creates a positive environment. This self-awareness fosters job satisfaction, enabling you to align personal strengths with professional success.
Develop new skills
In five or ten years, what do you want your most significant professional accomplishment to be? After that, admit that you probably need to develop some skills to get there... But which ones? Identify skills to develop by reflecting on past experiences, delve into project struggles to uncover skill gaps. Be specific about knowledge needed for improvement: categorize skills as soft, hard, or hybrid. Soft skills, like communication, are transferable, while hard skills, like coding, are job-specific. Choose three skills for immediate impact on goals and develop them through coaching, mentorship, training, or hands-on experience.
Cultivate authentic relationships
We all know the Golden Rule: to treat others the way you'd like to be treated. However, at work, the Platinum Rule is more important: treat others the way they want to be treated. Embrace curiosity and focus on meeting others' needs for mutual respect. Understand your coworkers' four work styles: logical, organized, supportive, and strategic, and tailor communication to each style for effective collaboration.
Commit to the Sprint Goal
Aligning with and committing to the Sprint Goal, requires soul-searching and reframing. Redesigning your role, leveraging strengths, and fostering meaningful connections with coworkers contribute to a more purposeful job. Make a cognitive shift by understanding the impact of your tasks, writing a meaning statement, and placing it visibly for motivation. Embrace the exciting journey of defining and serving a bigger purpose in your work. And remember that small changes lead to big results down the line!
Make IT happen!