Wanted: A Job Where I Get To Do What I Do Best

According to most research, one of the key drivers of employee engagement is the “opportunity to do what I do best everyday.” I think when people describe their dream job, they talk about a job in which they get to do something they’re great at and something that energizes them – everyday. When I talk with organizations about employee engagement, I am always looking for new and different ways to describe and talk about what employee engagement looks like, not just what it is. In the book, 12: The Elements of Great Managing there are some great descriptions for this key driver of employee engagement:

“When employees talk about what they do best, they rarely frame the discussion in terms of a job description.” So true. They will speak with passion, detail, and take the time to tell you stories. They won’t tell you what they do per se, they will tell you how they do what they do, why they do it and the impact it has.

“To get the most from her team, a manager must help each employee mold his job around they way he works most naturally, maximizing the frequency of optimal experiences in which he loses himself in the work, is internally motivated, and finds himself naturally gifted.” I like this statement because it always makes me think of the times I’ve gotten lost in my work – when I don’t want to stop working on something. It also makes me think about when I’ve seen the same with people on my staff and cultivating more of those opportunities for them.

How many of your employees would say they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day?

Jenna

Would you like to know more about Employee Engagement? Read about it here.