Studies have shown that 70% of employees are disengaged at work. If you’ve read my blogs or attended any of of my talks or seminars around the country you’ve probably heard me use this stat a lot, especially in my leadership sessions. When I mention this stat I use it to motivate managers and leaders to become better managers and leaders and also as a “reality check” to them because they set the temperature on their teams.
Today, I want to use that stat to motivate YOU-even if- especially if-you are one of the “disengaged” employees that go to work everyday and hate it!
Your Reality Check
If you go to work everyday and you feel disengaged, what will YOU do about it? Life is too short to spend 2,000 hours a year at a job that you hate! So, with the exception of quitting your job and finding a new one, you have several options to choose from:
- Continue to work at a job that you don’t like
- Change something about the experience so that you do like your job
I recommend that, “If you cannot get out of it (your job)-get into it!” Make every day a Friday instead of a Monday. Here are four ways to do that…
Control What You Can-Ignore What You Can’t
What would you say if I told you that you’re in control of your experience at work? I know, you may be saying, “But, Rommel-I work for an awful boss-I can’t control that!” And you’re right-you are not in control of your boss (or that awful resident, or the noisy location, or the old product you need to manage or sell) but you do have control over how your respond to those things!
When you find yourself in frustrating situations pause and think about what you actually have control over and what you don’t. Take the things you don’t have control over and let them go! Then look at what you do have control over, pause and think about what you can do to make the situation better. If you can’t make the situation better, what can you do to learn from it and then move forward?
Find the Joy
Researchers have said the number one driver of employee satisfaction is a concept called “play.” In other words if people derive pleasure from what they do for work, they’re more likely to be engaged. You can either wait for your employer to make the environment joyous (waiting for something out of your control) or you can choose in big and small ways to find and live the joy.
The cool part of being in the multifamily housing industry is that you provide homes for people. Reflect on that for a minute…how cool is that? Every day you provide a fundamental need for people. You are directly and indirectly a part of every resident’s story. You can take so much joy and satisfaction in that.
But if you need more help in finding the joy-I encourage you to pause right now and list five things positive things about your work. Then when things get tougher (as they will) look at that list again. When things are good, add to the list!
Celebrate
Find ways to celebrate your achievements. When you hit a goal, celebrate. When you do something well, celebrate. When you respond in positive and not negative ways in tough situations-celebrate! Train your mind and develop the habit of looking for the positives and not the negatives. It will make a huge difference.
Build Your Work Tribe
You may spend more time with your work family than with your real family, so why not work everyday to make your work relationships enjoyable? Start by being the best co-worker that you can be for the people around you. Think about your impact on other people. Is it positive? Negative? Be honest. Keep the positive things going, make a plan to reduce the negative and be an encourager, motivator and cheerleader for your teammates.
Make everyday a Friday and watch the difference it can make in your career!
