How to be Passionate About What You Do

It’s no secret that employee engagement has been on a downward trend for the last several years. There is however, a bit of good news--you can begin to improve your work happiness beginning today and here are three tips to get started:

Mastery: In my last blog post, we talked about developing your skills and I suggested that you think like the CEO of your company. When you see a CEO, he or she arrived at that position because they grew into it. If you want to be happier at work, focus on your growth and development--think in terms of becoming a master at your work. If you stay at the level of expertise you are at now, your passion will begin to dwindle. However, when you craft a plan to learn, grow and develop yourself and you take consistent action on your plan, you will find that your passion for what you do will increase.
 
Invest in relationships: It’s been said that people don’t quit their company, they quit their boss. When it comes to strengthening and growing your relationships at work, start with your boss. Make a list today of how you can communicate better with him or her and how you can deliver more value to this important relationship. Then, think of how you can become more visible to management above your boss. How can you get on their radar and connect with them? Is it possible that someone higher up would be happy to be your mentor or sponsor? Next, think of your team members; what can you do to be a better communicator and team member?

Know where you want to go: The most passionate employees are those who have a vision for where they want to be in the near future and beyond. How much thought have you given to where you want to go in your career and how you plan to get there? Few managers help their team members craft what is commonly called an Individual Development Plan. Instead of wishing your boss would help you with that, think like a CEO and write you own. It will be your guide to keep you on track on to motivate you when things aren’t going as well as you would like.
If you commit to mastering what you do, invest in your relationships at work and if you know where you want to go, you will be able to say, “I love my work.”

Alan Allard, Executive Coach and Speaker
www.alanallard.com