How to Create A Happier Work-life
I recently concluded a four-part series on the Q12 survey, Gallup’s employee engagement tool. After sharing the framework for thinking about engagement on a basic needs, individual contribution, teamwork, and growth level, it’s time to put that information into action.
Here’s a little-known secret: everybody is part of creating engagement. It’s not something that simply happens because you’ve got the “right” people in the room or happened to be at the “right” company. Instead, it’s the culmination of self-reflection, vulnerability, honesty, and effort. Engagement can mean different things to different people, but I’m referring to it as the satisfaction of showing up for yourself and others, the excitement of connection, and the joy of a fulfilling work life. If these are areas you’re struggling with, keep reading to find out how you can start leaning in and sparking your own joy.
Helping to create engagement in your organization is something you’re responsible for just as much as leadership, your boss, or anyone else at your company. With that responsibility comes a great deal of opportunity to own your growth and create the work-life you want for yourself. Here are a few questions to get you started on the path to identifying what you want so you can get it.
Individual-level questions:
What do I want out of this experience for myself, both personally and professionally?
What do growth and success look like in this role both now and over time? What am I willing to give, and what am I looking to receive from that process?
Often, people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. According to Gallup, it would take more than a 20% salary increase for an employee to walk away from an engaging manager but nearly nothing for a disengaged employee to be poached. If you’re looking to improve your relationship with your manager, here are some questions to check in on with yourself.
You and your boss:
What do I expect from my boss? Where do we chart with things like transparency, support, mentorship, and guidance? Do I know how to ask for what I've identified I need from the relationship?
What do I need to learn about being a good employee? Do I know what is expected of me? Do I know how to manage up?
Understanding your team dynamics can help you feel more confident in your abilities, so you can comfortably handle challenges that will inevitably arise. This awareness will also ease any anxieties about performance with the added benefit of feeling connected to your team. Grab a piece of paper and write your answers in a Venn diagram with your responses to #3 in the center.
You and your team:
What are my Strengths?
What are my team’s Strengths?
Where are my gaps, and how can I look to my team for support?
How can you show engagement with your company? One way is to be an external ambassador, which is a way to attract new talent and help contribute to the company’s overall success. This also serves as a reminder to yourself of why you’ve chosen to be there.
You and your company:
What does long-term success look like at this company for me?
As the company grows and changes, what would I like to have stay the same?
As you reflect on the layers of engagement above, remember this is a process. Some parts of this part, whether that’s responses to questions or points of action, will come naturally. Others may feel awkward or unclear but remember, playing an active role in creating engagement benefits you first and foremost.
I hope these questions have you feeling energized about the possibility of positive change. If you were moving through them feeling stuck or you have lots to say for each but don’t know how to turn insights into action, I’m just a phone call away.