I just finished Daniel Pink’s new book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, and I love it! He talks about the three things everyone needs to thrive at their jobs (and the three things every organization should be sure to cultivate in its workforce): autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Good things to think about in your own career/job search, I’d say.
Most of the people I work with don’t have any of these in their current work (that’s why they’ve called a career counselor, I suppose). What about you? Does your current position offer: Autonomy over your time and how you get your work done; the potential to work toward Mastery of challenging projects, tasks, and goals; and an overarching sense of Purpose in the work you do? If you’re looking for a new job or career direction, it might be wise to keep these three factors in mind, at least considering their level of importance to you and whether you know where to look for them.
Some questions to ask yourself:
- What puts you in a state of “flow” (complete engagement with what you’re doing, so you lose track of time)?
- What gives you a true sense of purpose or meaning?
- What level of autonomy and trust do you need from your employer in order to do your best work?
- What have you taken pleasure in “mastering” (knowing that doesn’t mean you’re perfect at it, just really good)? What was that mastery process like for you?
- Do you know anyone who seems to have all three of these elements (autonomy, mastery, purpose) in their work life? What have they done to put themselves in this fortunate position? What can you learn from this person’s experience?
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