I was tempted to use the title "Five Hacks to find Fulfilment @ Work" which might have led to more people reading this blog. But as we all would have experienced, most meaningful things in life are not found through an instant hack but need to be nourished till they connect with both our mind and heart! Same is the case with fulfilment at work.
This month I am completing 25 years of my career, and I was reflecting on "Why we work?". The early years of our career are about earning our livelihood, and building our "hip-pocket skills". Soon we reach the second stage, where we know what we are good at and we want to establish our brand and be recognized for our expertise. Finally, we may reach the third stage, where the external markers of success become less relevant, and inner markers of fulfilment become prominent. We start asking questions like How do I feel about myself? How do I show up as a leader? What difference am I making? These three stages may seem to mirror Maslow's Needs Hierarchy, and perhaps there is a correlation there.
However, the common thread across the three stages is how fulfilled we feel about our work. How is my work making me feel at the end of each day? Here are my reflections on five things that might give us fulfilment:
Take feedback. Positive feedback about our gifts can be immensely nourishing. We also have blind spots, and taking feedback from others can be a good way to uncover them. Include those who may be our critics - they may help us identify our roughest edges. And overcoming our rough edges can give deep inner fulfilment.
Find time to pause and reflect. Write a journal or a blog containing learnings from your victories and failures. And read your journal now and then. I find that blogging has coincidentally helped me create a journal of what was prominent in my mind over the last few years.
Notice what you have learned or become good at. On the treadmill of daily life, we rarely notice how far we have come. Most of the time the challenges and opportunities immediately ahead of us are all-consuming. In one program I attended, they made us write a letter to our younger selves, describing how we visualized our lives two years down the line. It was amazing to see a lot of what I had visualized come true and it was deeply fulfilling to read my letter after two years!
Pay it Forward. As one of my senior colleagues says, 'Teaching is the best way of learning'. We have all benefited from the guidance and support of others especially in the early years of our work. Serving others without any expectations can be an immense source of fulfilment. Invest time and energy in developing your team. Offer to mentor folks in your organization and beyond.
My favorite - Build Genuine Human Connections: Find time for a coffee with a friend or colleague, without any agenda. Life is a series of moments, and when we look back, we always cherish the relationships and conversations where we connect with others at a deep human level. This is a picture from a recent coffee catch-up with a school friend, Suresh Srinivasan, who is a fitness coach and a technology consultant, who was passing through town this week.
So thank you for reading this far and I am looking forward to hearing what gives you fulfilment at work!
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The author, Anuj Chadha, is a Leadership Coach, Founder of Three Circles, Faculty & Coach with Leadership Et' Humanite, and an Associate Coach with the Center for Creative Leadership.
At Three Circles, we build a deep understanding of what it takes to navigate the challenges that life throws at us. We partner with our clients, listen to their life & career aspirations, and support them to break through the obstacles that seem to be holding them back. Life is too precious to be unhappy, unsure, or unfulfilled. Partner with us as you re-imagine and re-create the Life that you Love!
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