Fall inlove with your job!

I have noticed over the years as a careers consultant that people have a tendency to never be happy in their jobs.  Almost everyone I ask about how their job is will give me a long story about everything that is wrong with their company.  Very rarely (although there have been a few), will someone say I love my job and I love this company.

It makes me wonder where the real problem lies. Could it be that almost every company in Zim is failing to create a harmonious, encouraging and uplifting work environment or is it that over the years we have just gotten accustomed to complaining an never being satisfied?

It amazes me when I look at C.V.'s and I see that someone has had a different job every year of their working life.  Being classified as a job hopper is a real disadvantage.  When a prospective employer skims through your C.V. one of the things they want to see is how long your stayed in your previous jobs.  They want to know if they will get value from you in terms of years or if you will just use them as a training ground or a springboard to something else.

There are some employees who make it their personal responsibility to give new employees an unofficial induction.  What I mean is that new employees are told just how rotten the company is and how they will never last.  I always say new recruits should ask that person what they are still doing there.

We forget many times that these are the companies that put food on our tables, enable us to send our children to school and enjoy some of the luxuries that we become accustomed to.

Here are just a few tips that may help you to change your attitude and really start loving your job.

• There is a blessing in serving someone else s vision.

Think about someone that you admire.  Someone who has made it in the corporate world or has just been really succesful.  You look at that person and you would love to be just like them, to achieve the level of succes that they have.  More often than not that person that you admire started by working for somebody else.  Even Oprah Winfrey was an employee once upon a time.

Every company has a vision. Infact every company was started because someone had a vision of something they wanted to achieve.  You may say surely it was because they wanted to make money!  Of course people are in business to make money but more often than not the vision is a greater motivating factor.  Vision is what
keeps the company going and its what makes the company succeed.

So do you know what your company's vision is?  Get to know it and work as hard as you can to achieve that vision.

• Speak Well of your organisation.

This is a big one.  Many employees think of the organisation as the company brand but what actually makes up the organisation  are the people who work there.  So when you bad mouth your company you are actually bad mouthing yourself. Your words will create your reality so don't go out washing your dirty linen in public.

If you go for an interview and they ask you why you want to leave your current company and all your answer contains is how mean your current employers are I assure you that you will not get the job because the interviewer knows that if they employ you, you will be saying the same thing about them a few months down the line.

• Handle Challenges Positively

Get up in the morning and say "Today i am going to have a great day at work" even if you know that there will be some challenges.  Sometimes you may have a boss who seems to pick on you everyday.  I had a boss like that once.  I was working for an international company managing one of their divisions.  This boss was new and no matter what I did my work was never good enough.  he would find fault with everything I did.

I would go home many days miserable and dread coming to work the next morning.  One evening I just decided I had had enough and that I was going to talk to him.  The next day I asked him to come to the boardroom for a meeting with me.  I was able to explain to him exactly how I was feeling and how miserable he was making me. I was terrified as I spoke to him but surprisingly he listened and later explained that he thought that I was actually very competent and he was trying to push me to a higher level.  Thankfully his management style changed and we were able to work together.  If I had not spoken up i would have probably left the organisation and missed an opportunity of promotion which came to me the following year and also missed the opportunity to travel to exotic places like Hongkong & Seychelles.

Working for other people was thus a great platform for me and many times now as an entrepreneur I look back to those lessons both good and bad and they have really made me a better person.

• Make yourself indispensable to your company

If you were to resign from your job today would your employer beg you to stay or would he simply accept your letter and call the Career Consultant for a replacement.  It's important that you make yourself indispensable to your employer.  How do you do that?

- By carrying out your duties perfectly with little or no errors.
-By going the extra mile.  Your hard work will bring money into the company and ultimately into your pocket.
-By handling customers exceptionally well that they cant help commenting on your service and here I am talking about both external and internal customers.
- Be innovative.  What new ideas can you come up with that will enhance/improve working systems and thus enhance profits.

If you become an excellent employee, the minute you say to your boss "I am thinking of leaving" they will sit down with you and see how they can keep you, what incentives they can offer you because you have become an asset to the organisation.  In the end you may just decide to stay.  Basically what they are saying to you is "It will be very hard to replace you.  Please Stay!"

• What to do when you feel it's time to move on. 

Well there does come a time in everyone's life when they feel that they have reached the ceiling where they are and that they need new challenges. perhaps in a new organisation.  This however, should not be an overnight decision.  You should have a well thought out plan about what direction you want your career to take, what courses and seminars you will have to attend to achieve your goals.  Perhaps you want to start a business, what skills will you need to ensure that you are well equipped.

Talk about all the above with your superior.  Your superior is not just there to make sure you do your job well but also needs to be there to help you achieve your dreams.  It's not just about the company it's about you too. And many company's are proud to be able to say this young man or woman worked for us once and look at what they have now achieved.  That is a real testimony and truly a great sign of success.

When you do the above your superiors won't be shocked when you tell them about your plans to leave.  Also never just leave a resignation letter on your bosses desk.  Talk to your boss about your intention to resign and only hand them the letter after you have spoken to them.  And always be prepared to give them time to find a replacement, don't just leave them in the lurch.

So be happy at work, speak well of your organisation, handle challenges positively, and make yourself indispensable to the company.  Fall in love with your job and you will see yourself climb the corporate ladder faster than you ever thought possible.