Job and Success Re-defined

Job and Success Re-defined

Just think of it. What comes to mind when you think of your job? Do think of it as an activity you are involved in from 8am-5pm, Monday to Friday that pays your bills? Do you see your involvement in that job as a means for you to accomplish a personal purpose for which you think or know you are making a difference? Or would you rather be doing something else?

After the end of the day, after you have been involved for hours in what you may call your job, what kind of thoughts does your mind entertain? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment and can't wait to be back or you are glad the day is over?

I have been astonished, since 1997 when I started interviewing people before my presentations, by how some professionals, leaders and business owners have redefined what we call jobs and work-related success. These people have factored a critical element in their jobs or success in what they do-they understand how, at the end of the day, another individual's life is made better by their involvement.

They rarely see what they do as just a job, but a mission. Success for them in not based on the material returns for their involvement, but the fulfillment that is only experienced when one is consciously committed to making a difference.

What I have observed over the years is that the people who see their jobs as a personal mission generally have a better sense of belonging, create great work-related relationships, don't limit their contribution to a job description, own their decisions and actions and thus receive more than a paycheck from a job.

Here are some responses from individuals who see their jobs as a means to help others:

The late Paul Reynolds, was a successful businessman (owned and operated a funeral home in Twin Falls), who became a dear friend. Just before he died in March 2003, I asked him what he thought made him successful. His response was, "Think of the help-line first as you serve people and the bottom-line will not be a problem."

I asked a man, who worked for Community Partnership in Boise, what he considered a successful day at work as I was preparing to keynote address for a conference organized by his organization. "When I have taught an adult the difference between a quarter and a dime" was his response. He worked with adults with mental and physical developmental challenges.

Dr. Mark Smith of Smileworks is well known for his natural smile and genuine love for people. Before speaking at the annual conference of Idaho Dentists, I asked him if there was a piece of wisdom he had learned from his years of dental work. Without hesitation, he said, "We should never forget that the teeth we work on are attached to people. They have families, plans, challenges and hope-learn their story."

A lady, a college graduate with an accounting degree, is a school bus driver in Kent School District, Washington. I was surprised as to why an accountant would rather settle for dealing with the challenges, less pay, and dealing with tough road conditions, of driving school buses. "When you drive young people to school, you are preparing the future. I am happy to be the first and the last person from the school district who they come to contact with."

In the same school district I interviewed a man in the maintenance department (what other places call custodian), who called his place of work, "My building." He was one of the most articulate individuals I have ever spoken to with an unbelievable sense of pride for his contribution.

One of the Vice Presidents of Williams Northwest Pipeline told me that they don't look at what they do as selling gas but "providing people with means of survival." Think of life without heating systems in winter or cooling in summer. What about life without cooking gas?

The question then is do you have a job or a mission? How do you define your work-related success?