Excerpted and edited from
Source (Amy Gallo, HBR.org)
Sometimes you know your job just isn't right for you. Maybe you're
in the wrong field, don't enjoy the work, feel surrounded by
untrustworthy coworkers, or have an incompetent boss.
Most people would tell you to find something that's a better fit. But
that may not be possible.
There are many reasons you may not be able to
leave: a tough economy, family commitments, or limited opportunities in
your field. So what do you do when you're stuck in the wrong job?
Here's how to make the most of
an imperfect job situation. I love these case studies in job redesign:
Case Study #1: Integrate your interests into the job
Thomas Heffner is an engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied
Physics Lab, a university-affiliated research center that contracts with
the Department of Defense. When Thomas took the job eight years ago, he
started off doing purely technical work focusing on radio frequency
design and radar analysis. He knew pretty early on that this work wasn't
his passion. "So much of what we do is done in isolation. We have
classified labs where I might be the only person typing away," he says.
About five years into the job, he took on a project manager role,
thinking it would allow him to interact more with people. Still most of
his tasks — managing schedules, developing contracts, reviewing
documentation — involved working alone. Thomas thought about looking for
another job, one that suited him better, but he couldn't. He and his
wife were having a second child and it wasn't a good time to make a
move, especially given the tough job market. Instead, he started taking
classes in positive organizational psychology and found ways to
integrate this interest into his work. He offered to do presentations on
positive organizational scholarship. He first spoke to his own group
and then at brown-bag lunches, which were open to everyone in his
5,000-person center. He also approached his company's training and
development office about developing a course that uses positive
psychology to teach innovation and creativity. The staff in that office
encouraged him to create and teach the course. While these new projects
are outside of his scope of work, he still does all of the things his
project manager role requires. And, he has been able to reduce his
administrative workload by delegating certain tasks to his team members
who were eager to take them on. "I was able to make room for the things I
wanted to do," he says. And it's paid off. "Before I started making
changes, my job satisfaction was probably about 3 [on a scale of 1-10].
I'm making small changes; it's nothing earth shattering, but it's now up
to a 7." By finding other ways to spend time doing what he enjoys most —
learning, teaching others, spending time with people — he believes he
can boost that up to an 8 or 9.
Case Study #2: Start doing the job you want
Nine years ago, when Shammy Khan took a job at a contract manufacturer
based in Texas, he knew it wasn't the perfect job for him. The position
was in account management and required Shammy to handle routine,
day-to-day work related to one of the company's clients. Shammy felt his
strengths lied elsewhere. "I was more interested in growing businesses
and putting deals together than servicing existing clients," he says.
Yet he was spending less than 5% of his time doing that. After a year
on the job, he completed a job crafting exercise, which helped him
realize that he would be happier focusing more on new customer deals,
which he saw others doing full time. He approached his manager and
explained why he was the right person to cultivate a potential client in
a market — large scale electromechanical integration services — the
company had never served. His boss was convinced. Shammy's title and
role didn't change but he shifted his attention to developing and
acquiring the capabilities needed to win the account. The client is now
one of his company's top six customers. Based on that success, Shammy
was promoted to vice president and is now focused exclusively on new
ventures, strategic markets, and business development.
Here are some tips and tricks before you change your job:
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| Madam, by Tosin Otitoju |
Look at yourself
Whether or not you are satisfied with your job often has to do with your
disposition... it's
worth asking: Are you just the kind of person who tends to be
dissatisfied? This understanding may not make you like your job better,
but may make you think twice before you look for a new position.
Find meaning
... looking at your job responsibilities through a different lens. For
example, if your position involves menial tasks, try to remember they
are stepping stones to a longer term goal and you won't be doing them
forever. Or, if you are in a field that is emotionally taxing, like
nursing or social work, remind yourself that while you are tired at the
end of the day, you are helping others...
If you can't change your perspective, you may be able to shift your job
responsibilities. And you don't necessarily have to transfer departments
or get a promotion to do it... redesign your job to better fit your motives, strengths, and
passions. "Some people make radical moves; others make small changes" in
how they delegate or schedule their day, Wrzesniewski says. While the
former might require approval from your manager, the latter often
doesn't. For example, if your most enjoyable task is talking with
clients, but you feel buried in paperwork, you might decide to always
speak with clients in the morning, so you're energized to get through
the drudge work for the rest of the day. Or you might save talking with
your clients until the end of the day as a reward.
Change who you interact with
If it's not the work you dislike but the people you work with, you may
be able to change that too. Wrzesniewski says she has seen people
successfully alter who they interact with on a daily basis to increase
job satisfaction. Focus on forging relationships that give you energy,
rather than sapping it. Seek out people who can help you do your job
better...
Resist complaining
When you're in the wrong job, it can be tempting to moan about it to
others. But it's not advisable. "Complaining about your job is a recipe
for trouble. You never know how the complaints may be shared with others
in the organization," says Spreitzer. Plus you may drag others down
with you. If you are unhappy, it's better to focus on what you can
change not grumble about what you can't.
Keep options open
The improvements you make to your job situation may make things more
tolerable, but you should always be open to the next thing. "You can
improve your job but you can also be on the lookout for new
opportunities," says Speitzer. Be sure your resume (e.g. your LinkedIn
profile) is up to date and that you are continually meeting people in
the field you want to be in.
Source:
Don't Like Your Job? Change It (Without Quitting), by Amy Gallo ( Harvard Business Review )
