Early in my career, I realized the importance of having fulfilling work. I read Dr. Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning, which was based on his experiences surviving the Holocaust. Frankl recognized that everyone’s life had meaning, and he spent the rest of his life assisting others in finding theirs.
Understanding the Role of Meaning in Career Satisfaction
Sometimes, people confuse meaning with job aspirations. Asking yourself what you appreciate and love about your prior jobs and current career will help you make sense of it. Do you prefer working in groups or alone? It’s possible that you like gathering information for both yourself and other people. People tend to avoid what they don’t like and to repeat and do more of what they like. The things we are already skilled at are frequently our inclinations. Studies have shown that we achieve more over time when we perform things in which we are experienced. This increases the task’s enjoyment and is sometimes referred to as transitioning from competence to mastery.
I discovered early on in my academic path that listening requires the same level of focus that most individuals save for speaking. In order to help groups of professionals become more self-aware and improve their capacity to work together, I was asked to guide them to see themselves as others did. I began enjoying my job after witnessing the fulfillment that came from helping others accomplish significant goals. This prompted me to pursue graduate work in clinical psychology, and as my emotional intelligence rose, I was persuaded to transfer to UCLA’s business school for my PhD in order to influence the productivity and expansion of businesses and their workforce.
Applying Purpose to Real-Life Career Transitions
I had a client named Linda (not her real name). As a manager of customer service, she felt underused. During our collaboration, she shared how, at a prior position, she found fulfillment in conversing with potential clients and felt incredibly honored when they became clients. She asked her management to move her to a sales team as an outcome of our collaboration. To help her explain her prior achievements in her previous position, we rehearsed dialogues. She is currently thriving in the sales team and finds personal fulfillment in her work every day. To assist others in finding purpose in their work, Linda’s next objective is to advance to the position of sales manager.
One component of self-actualization, according to Abaham Maslow, is ongoing learning and development. People who love what they do will be more successful and physically healthier, according to research and my own experience. Every day, I’m thankful for the chance to encourage people to find fulfillment and meaning in their job and to support them in doing the same.
Tom Drucker
I use science and skill to help leaders, teams, and individual contributors achieve their goals with less stress. It’s gratifying to see people discover their power to consciously switch from a fear-based to a growth-based mindset and create breakthrough results. My first career was as a Clinical Psychologist. I switched my PhD studies to the Anderson Business School at UCLA to research which attributes make leaders successful and how to create sustainable company-wide improvements. At Consultants in Corporate Innovation, I have worked with large companies like Google and Apple as well as small and mid-sized companies. I use my business experience and knowledge of neuroscience to help leaders, teams, and individuals to change their habits, transforming their lives forever. I also help sell family-owned companies as a Managing Director with the Janas Investment Bank.