Have you ever been in the right role where everything just clicked and felt good? The creativity was flowing, and things felt easy. You would be excited to get up in the morning to make our difference and show the world what we could do. You left at the end of the day with an immense amount of energy ready to take on the world. The feeling of excitement was frequent, the feeling of productivity was free flowing, and it overflowed into our personal relationships in many ways. Your tank was full!
Did you know job fit is one of the biggest reasons for disengagement in companies? Job fit not only impacts engagement. It also impacts productivity and building high performing teams and has significant downstream impact to many aspects of people's lives. In fact, companies with the right leaders in the right roles have 42% lower turnover (2022 State of Talent Optimization). How often have you taken a step back to truly understand yourself and see how that plays out in a work setting? How about the impact of the job fit in your world and how that impacts your relationships? We spend majority of our waking hours investing in our companies so doing something that gives you energy is important to all aspects of your life and well-being.
As easy as it was to think of jobs where things came easy, we can also easily think of the opposite. Times when we were strained to do our job, we procrastinated many things on a daily basis, we were dreading working on the primary function of our jobs. But our responsibility and achievement set in, so we do it and do it well. It takes much of our energy though so by the time we get home at night, we have nothing left in the tank. No patience, no energy left for those we love.
I've found myself in this position many times - on both sides of the equation. For many years, I would be in roles where I was making a difference, driving initiatives that were high profile, making an impact to the bottom line. It was fulfilling in that sense however much of the work I was doing was not in alignment with what I do best, what comes natural to me. I would do it well because of who I am, however, the functions of the job took a lot of energy out of me. Some days I would come home exhausted, no patience for my family, and placing the blame for my unhappiness on others around me. I would dissect the things others were doing around me to find things they were or were not doing to justify the blame.
Was it really their fault? There is always an element of others involvement. I always go back to my role in whatever situation or relationship I am in. What part of that friction is caused by me, my unfulfillment, or perhaps unhappiness in what's going on around me? What part of this can I change or make adjustments to change the situation? There are many times several factors, but job fit comes up often as one that most people don’t peel back the layers enough to understand.
Often times we hear managers are the reasons people leave jobs and companies. Being supported, empowered and encouraged by your manager is very important, and is still close to the top of the list for disengaged employees. Managers can absolutely hold you back from doing the very work you are wired to do as well. Your role in that is to know yourself enough to be able to share that with your boss or leader so he/she can support you in a greater way.
For me, putting words to how I am wired helped me immensely. It helped me regain an understanding of myself that had been lost, whether from aligning to the business needs or getting lost in the shuffle of life. Those words and transparency helped me have the right conversation with my leader. It propelled me to dig deeper into others to better understand them. It propelled me to invest in The Predictive Index Talent Optimization certification because I see the value in how this can help individuals and organizations in a streamlined way. It still requires an important element of reflection but empowers and enables those conversations in many ways. Putting into words how I was wired helped me in a professional sense, and in many ways helped me immensely in a personal sense as well. Filling my tank in a professional sense allowed for room and energy for my loved ones.
The reality is that the sooner you can get people in roles that fit who they are and the work that comes easy to them, the sooner you will get the results you are looking for as a leader. The work will get done better, your teams will start working more collaboratively, and the happiness factor at work will go through the roof. They will be happier at work and that will translate into energy and happiness in other aspects of their lives. Their overall wellbeing will be greater. It starts with each of us having that awareness of ourselves and accepting who we are and how we are wired.
So, my ask of you is to spend time thinking about your situation and even past roles. Where is your energy gauge? We all change, evolve and mature in our own ways but much of the core of who we are stays the same.
Have you ever been in a job where you felt like you were unstoppable? What were you doing? What did that look like and feel like? How did you emotionally feel at the end of the day? How did you physically feel at the end of the day?
How well do you know your employees and the work they do best?
What tools and resources do you give your teams to understand each other?
Do you have a talent strategy to align with your team with the work you need to do?
Resources:
Understanding Yourself: The Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment (as part of the Talent Optimization software). Take the 3-minute assessment and we can talk through the results to help you better understand yourself and how you are wired.
2022 The State of Talent Optimization to find out the top reasons why people are quitting and what executives are feeling and doing with talent strategies.
Learn more: www.corestrategicsolutions.com
Reach out: heidigoettsch@corestrategicsolutions.com
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