job satisfaction Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

28
Sep 20
-

Learning Satisfaction Creates Commitment

Tags : balance career focus job satisfaction

Are you committed to doing your best work? Does job satisfaction play a role? Learning satisfaction may be the first step to a more fulfilled workplace experience.

Are you interested?

Much of what creates fulfillment in your life is about balance. Too much or too little of anything and it feels like something is just not quite right.

Too many meetings, not enough time to act.

Always out on the road, missing more office time.

Too much production of the same thing, boredom and monotony.

Things changing all the time, not enough focus.

Abundance of email messages, or the opposite, no customers to serve.

It is really about figuring out how to find the balance or navigate the extremes.

No Problems, No Job

If there was nothing to address, no problems to solve, or no strategy to formulate then you probably wouldn’t have the job.

The same might be said about a travel schedule, the amount product needed or services to provide. No change means boredom, and no email messages or phone calls may signal the beginning of the end.

It also matters for communication efforts, Zoom meetings, or scheduled phone calls. Too much or too little and things just aren’t working.

Job or workplace satisfaction is a state of mind. You feel accomplished, confident, and those feelings are aligned with expectations.

What did you expect?

Learning Satisfaction

Never a meeting, never someplace to be, no interruptions, and certainly no phone calls or email messages? That certainly doesn’t seem like a recipe for success.

Satisfaction comes from recognizing that without all of the things that are too much, there probably wouldn’t be a need for your services.

Setting expectations helps navigate job satisfaction.

It may be one of the most important things to learn.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

03
Sep 19
-

Workplace Comparison and Judgement

Tags : career focus job satisfaction shortcuts

The conversation often starts with a workplace comparison. Someone else did it wrong, someone else had permission, or everybody does it.

Often it seems we live life in comparison. The grass is always greener. Someone else was lucky, or they must come from money.

The Illusion of Shortcuts

It may be a way to create blame or it may be a way explain shortcomings. It may also be a lure into the trap that shortcuts exist and the best way to get ahead is knowing how to navigate them.

When you look for the bad, the things that could go wrong, or a reason why it won’t work, you’ll likely find it. Finding someone or some circumstance to blame may be self-protection or it may create a reason to give up before you get started.

Careers have a beginning and an ending, and a whole lot of stuff that happens in the middle. You work for a paycheck, job satisfaction, or to make a difference.

You also probably wonder from time-to-time if you are getting left behind.

There are some guarantees. One guarantee is that when you compare your life’s work against another’s, you’ll find some differences.

Workplace Comparison

Some people are worn out, tired, and want a break. Some will cite fear, hesitation, and hurry as the cause for their outcome.

There will still be other onlookers who claim the shortcut was the reason.

The shortcut is an illusion. An assumption that because you know now, and didn’t before, you’ll be able to get there quicker.

Speed may matter, and so will timing.

Comparison over action may be similar to a dog chasing its tail, or the rocking chair on the front porch. Lots of activity, things in motion, but no one is going anywhere.

Shortcuts are often an illusion and so is the comparison.

Reserve judgment and stay focused.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

23
Jul 19
-

Two Paths for Workplace Accomplishments

Tags : accomplishment culture job satisfaction workplace

In life it seems we often have at least two choices. Since childhood we’ve often embraced it as good or bad. When we consider workplace accomplishments, there are at least two paths for getting the job done.

Which path are you on?

Your Choice

Imagine there are two organizations. Both employ a sizable number of people. You have a choice about which organization to join.

Inside the first organization you see people interacting. As you listen in, you notice the talk is about short-comings, observations of work are critical and not highly appreciated. Days are spent in defensive postures, covering up mistakes, and hoarding work.

You look to the second organization and peel back the cover. You look inside and you see energy, excitement, and congratulatory appreciation for work accomplished. The environment appears supportive, hands are helping hands, and the work is largely accomplished in teams.

Now for your choice. Which one would you join?

Seems pretty simple and clear, right?

If so, then why do we engage and help co-create the type of organization which no one would really enjoying working in?

Some may quickly suggest money. Perhaps one pays more.

Someone else may suggest one organization has a better work schedule, benefits, or is a slightly shorter commute.

What are your trade-offs?

Workplace Accomplishments

One organization is going to accomplish more.

One organization is built on purpose, values, and the consideration of a long-run game.

The other is built on drama, criticism, and blame. No one is interested or understands the path to the future because the spotlight is on the past, self-protection, and playing defense.

Both organizations have movement, yet only one is accomplishing something important and valuable.

How would you assess your workplace accomplishments?

Life is about choices.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

16
May 18
-

Job Satisfaction May Be What You Create

Tags : career job satisfaction leadership persistence

Monday is the drag yourself to work day, Wednesday there is a glimmer of hope, and Friday is the day many wait for anxiously. Does this sound like you or someone on your team? Is job satisfaction something that each person can create?

Why We Work

There are of course, people who only want to work for one reason. By choice or by submission to the years of drudgery, they are paycheck only employees. Certainly though, there are those who are enthusiastic and career minded.

For the career minded, one of the most popular ways to create your career is to predict it. You graduate from high school. You make a decision about college or no college. Observations of family and friends occur. Then you listen to guidance from teachers, elders, and those who want to sell you a path.

That isn’t all though, you make a choice to make an investment. Usually connected to time, money, and amount of effort, what you are really hoping to do is get the prediction correct. What you see for the future and the place that you want to be is a prediction.

There is a sizable lot that does this, and does it effectively. When you look around though, you are really making a prediction. The best prediction of all may be that predicting your future is unlikely.

Career Changes and Job Descriptions

Millions of people make career changes. The factory closes, the technology shifts, or the difference between a paycheck and career start to sink in. Predicting your future or your job satisfaction is difficult, but creating a better outlook for your future may be something you can control.

When I work with small businesses, the percentage of those who have job descriptions for all employees is something less than fifty percent. If you were to add in the relevance of the work performed as compared with what is on the job description you would find an even deeper discrepancy in accuracy.

Employees can get nervous about their job description. Often they shudder with the thought that they will be targeted for poor performance or that the description will list a task or duty that they find undesirable. Sometimes this may happen and in other cases, it is simply a negative fantasy.

Job Satisfaction

Instead, what if your job description is considered an opportunity? Imagine if the job description has the possibility to be co-created. When the supervisor asks you to create a list of your duties as you see them, is that a problem or an opportunity?

The best path for your job satisfaction may not be in predicting the future. Perhaps the best path is to create it.

You may not be able to create one hundred percent of it. In fact, complete creation is unlikely. However, every chunk, every point, and every opportunity you have to steer, will make a difference across time.

Job satisfaction is not an image or comparison, for many positions, it is what you create.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

21
Jun 16
3

Generations of Respect

Tags : generations job satisfaction respect SHRM

Some people believe respect is given and then earned, others believe it is earned before it is given. SHRM’s (Society for Human Resource Management) 2016 job satisfaction report indicates that respectful treatment of all employees at all levels is a leading factor for job satisfaction. Are there generational differences when it comes to respect?

Generational Joyful Group

Respect is desirable across all generations, but how we define respect, or what defines respect, may vary as much from person-to-person as it does from generation-to-generation. Here are two simple guidelines for workplace respect across all generations:

Always think before you speak to any generation, including your own. Keep in mind that when you feel threatened or under pressure, your internal fuse will be shorter.
Fear forms a connection to problems, inspiration connects to goals. Avoid communication that enlists fear as a motivator. United groups are respected groups. Consciously or subconsciously creating a divide across any of the generations through fear will always be counterproductive and will feel disrespectful.

One generation is probably not more challenged as compared to another when it comes to respect, although it is commonplace to blame a generation different from your own.

Give some respect.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and coach that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is the author of the newly released book, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at DennisEGilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: job satisfaction

Sep 20

-

Learning Satisfaction Creates Commitment

No Problems, No Job

Learning Satisfaction

Sep 19

-

Workplace Comparison and Judgement

The Illusion of Shortcuts

Workplace Comparison

Jul 19

-

Two Paths for Workplace Accomplishments

Your Choice

Workplace Accomplishments

May 18

-

Job Satisfaction May Be What You Create

Why We Work

Career Changes and Job Descriptions

Job Satisfaction

Jun 16

3

Generations of Respect

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