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According to Daniel Pink, former speech writer to Al Gore the factors that motivate us to achieve and perform well at work are not money, status or a shiny office with a great view. No, the things that send our performance to the outer orbits are the intrinsically based factors of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
He backs up his claims by citing reams of scientific research as evidence. You can listen to him explain his theory on this clip from TED.
Interestingly his claims have also been confirmed by my own research, when I questioned 260 from my database about what they loved and hated about their working life.
When I think back over my own experiences of when I worked in the corporate world I felt that my job offered very little autonomy, a modest amount of mastery and I can honestly say I struggled to find a sense of purpose. Although I was helping people to finance their businesses it got lost in amongst the tangled web of regulations and procedures.
In her book “Escape From Cubicle Nation” Pamela Slim castigates our corporate employers for their stifling approach to looking after their people and encourages us all to break out and seek the work we love.
If you want to break free are teetering on the edge of the work- life- cliff try this short quiz to find out how much your current work matters to you.
Does Your Work Matter to You?
Taken from the blog written by Steven DeMaio
This is not a definitive self-test for people who are contemplating leaving their jobs – It’s merely a set of touch points to use as you work out what really matters to you in your work life. The key thing is to answer the questions honestly and to reflect on your answers.
1. To what extent does my work affect the lives of people outside my company?
A. greatly
B. somewhat
C. little or not at all
2. How often do I get to see the effects of my work on people who are not my colleagues?
A. frequently
B. sometimes
C. rarely or never
3. How much do the people affected by my work need it in their lives?
A. a great deal — their lives would be worse off without it
B. to some extent — the benefits are marginal but have some value
C. very little, not at all, or I have no idea
4. How well do the people affected by my work match up with the kind of people whose lives I’d like to be affecting?
A. the two groups match up very well
B. it’s a matter of chance
C. they’re not the same, by and large
5. How long does the broader impact of my work last after I complete it?
A. a long time
B. a moderate while, but not long
C. its value is fleeting
6. When I think about the broader effects of my work, how do I feel about it in the moment?
A. good or great
B. indifferent
C. bad or ashamed
7. When I imagine myself thinking back on having spent years doing the work I do, how do I expect to feel?
A. satisfied and proud
B. indifferent
C. regretful
8. When I think about my work, how often do I envision doing something more satisfying to me and useful to others?
A. rarely or never
B. moderately often
C. very frequently
9. How often do I get to laugh genuinely and heartily at work?
A. frequently
B. sometimes
C. rarely or never
10. When work makes me tired, as inevitably happens, what kind of tired feeling is it?
A. usually the good kind, like exercise gives you
B. it varies — sometimes a good kind, sometimes bad
C. the kind that makes you feel sad, lazy, useless, or angry
Now count up the As, Bs, and Cs.
As a rule of thumb having at least five As and no more than one C is a healthy goal. Where do you stand relative to that?
Jo x
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