The Mindset of Satisfaction

The mindset with which we approach our work determines our satisfaction, plain and simple. I can't tell you how many people I come across who are firmly convinced that their company doesn't know what it's doing, and that there should be a way to change things. They go on to complain, gripe, gather in little clots in the lunchroom, and plot ways to "make" the company change. Or, they threaten to quit. Or they actually quit.

And the company just keeps on keeping on.

It's like change in society. Nothing happens overnight, not even a revolution. Wars change things, but wars typically run for quite a while. Plagues change things, as does technology, but both take incubation and persistence of use. Remember, back in 1968, a computer the size of a room, reading punch cards, had a memory of well under one meg. I know. I programmed an IBM 1620. Boy, am I dating myself . . .

No, change within the workplace is an inside job. I've always operated under the premise that, if I do my job and make things run more efficiently, my work will get noticed and I'll get the ear of someone. My task is to create a work environment for myself that does two things.

1. It accomplishes for the company what I'm paid to do, and
2. I do it in such a way as to maximize my enjoyment of what I am doing.

Those two things are also in the right order.

When I consult with a company, I have to accomplish the goals we've contracted for. How I accomplish those goals is largely up to me. If my style doesn't fit, I can easily adjust my style. If, on the other hand, the company itself is a bad fit, i.e. their way of doing business violates my baseline ethics, I am out of there. I have the flexibility to modify my approach endlessly. I will not, however, sell my soul to the highest bidder.

A job is just that. You're there to do what the people paying you want you to do. Ultimately, if you don't like doing what others tell you to do (that would be me!) you can work for yourself, recognizing that you'll be giving up the perks, like paid vacations. I haven't had a paid vacation since 1996. No sob story, just reality.

Do your job. Do it well. Figure out a way to make what you do fun. If you can't, plan an exit strategy and pick somewhere else to work. And do it all without complaint. No one is listening, anyway.

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