Secret Economic Recovery Plan: Get Inspired by Your Job
- By Stuart Friedman
- Published December 13, 2009
- Careers
- Unrated
Stuart Friedman
Stuart Friedman is The Ultimate Employment Coach, author of Break Free from Job Jail, and the host of Inside Job Jail, a weekly, nationwide radio program. Learn more at http://www.jobjail.com. Copyright © 2009 by Free From Jails LLC. All rights reserved.
View all articles by Stuart Friedman
Every day, employees and employers miss opportunities to build the type of relationships necessary to foster success on both sides of the employment equation. The results are often catastrophic in the workplace: employees lack inspiration and many simply view their jobs as entitlements; employers, on the other hand, consider their employees to be expendable human "capital" that's easy to replace.
We can do better, especially when we know that more than 80 percent of American workers are in jobs or settings they do not like. We must create situations where employees truly love their jobs and where employers are able to reap the benefits of having created work environments that are more closely aligned with the needs of their workers. Such a shift in thinking could very well boost our struggling economy and lagging jobs market. After all, employers and employees ultimately want the same things: for their companies and, therefore, their workers to do well.
Employees are most inspired when their work environments—from physical settings, to the people they work with (or for), to their job requirements—align with who they are and what comes naturally to them. When employees are able to use their natural strengths and abilities at work, they often produce beyond expectations, generating positive results for their employers, themselves, and the economy. It becomes a true "win-win-win" situation for all. Here's how:
1. Inspired employees produce more and generate greater profits.
2. Greater
profits lead to company growth and increased business and career opportunities for workers.
3. Employers recognize a demonstrable business reason to reward employees and support their development, so the behavior is reinforced.
4. Expansion leads to more jobs, and more jobs lead to increased and/or sustained wages, greater rewards, a much healthier job market, and a greater likelihood that employees will "stay hired."
You see, when people know who they are, what they are good at, and are working in jobs they love, there is a natural synergy that occurs in the workplace—and those who work in jobs they love set examples that inspire others at all levels to do the same. Success is contagious. Everybody wins!
What are the keys to making this happen?
• Employers must support ways to inspire employees so that their employees love what they do and where they do it, from physical settings to job requirements.
• Employees must find ways to communicate needs and expectations about their jobs to their bosses so that employers know how they can make situations at work more amenable (in fact, this seemingly small step might be the most important action an employee can take toward creating a work environment more consistent with who he or she is).
The bottom line is that high-performing employees feel greater senses of self-worth, experience increased confidence, and gain the fortitude (and inspiration) necessary to take on more and to do more, which in turn creates greater possibility and greater capacity . . . and that makes a winner out of employees, employers, and the economy.
We can do better, especially when we know that more than 80 percent of American workers are in jobs or settings they do not like. We must create situations where employees truly love their jobs and where employers are able to reap the benefits of having created work environments that are more closely aligned with the needs of their workers. Such a shift in thinking could very well boost our struggling economy and lagging jobs market. After all, employers and employees ultimately want the same things: for their companies and, therefore, their workers to do well.
Employees are most inspired when their work environments—from physical settings, to the people they work with (or for), to their job requirements—align with who they are and what comes naturally to them. When employees are able to use their natural strengths and abilities at work, they often produce beyond expectations, generating positive results for their employers, themselves, and the economy. It becomes a true "win-win-win" situation for all. Here's how:
1. Inspired employees produce more and generate greater profits.
2. Greater
3. Employers recognize a demonstrable business reason to reward employees and support their development, so the behavior is reinforced.
4. Expansion leads to more jobs, and more jobs lead to increased and/or sustained wages, greater rewards, a much healthier job market, and a greater likelihood that employees will "stay hired."
You see, when people know who they are, what they are good at, and are working in jobs they love, there is a natural synergy that occurs in the workplace—and those who work in jobs they love set examples that inspire others at all levels to do the same. Success is contagious. Everybody wins!
What are the keys to making this happen?
• Employers must support ways to inspire employees so that their employees love what they do and where they do it, from physical settings to job requirements.
• Employees must find ways to communicate needs and expectations about their jobs to their bosses so that employers know how they can make situations at work more amenable (in fact, this seemingly small step might be the most important action an employee can take toward creating a work environment more consistent with who he or she is).
The bottom line is that high-performing employees feel greater senses of self-worth, experience increased confidence, and gain the fortitude (and inspiration) necessary to take on more and to do more, which in turn creates greater possibility and greater capacity . . . and that makes a winner out of employees, employers, and the economy.
