Investor's Business Daily, August 13th, 2007
Ever been stuck in a miserable job? If so, you probably felt uninvolved, unfulfilled and unappreciated. In his new book, "The Three Signs of a Miserable Job," executive coach Patrick Lencioni says employee misery results from workplace conditions that need to be changed -- not the job itself.
"Miserable jobs are found everywhere -- consulting firms, television stations, banks, schools, churches. ... They exist at all levels, from the executive suite to the reception desk (and) mailroom.
"A marketing executive can be miserable making a quarter of a million dollars a year, while the waitress who serves him lunch derives meaning and satisfaction from her job," Lencioni said.
What makes the difference? The work environment, which is controlled by managers.
So what are the three signs of a miserable job?
Anonymity. "People who see themselves as invisible, generic or anonymous cannot love their jobs, no matter what they're doing," Lencioni said.
Managers' remedy: Take a personal interest in each worker -- and make the effort genuine, he says.
"To manage another human being effectively requires some degree of empathy and curiosity" about what motivates that person and what his personal goals are.
Without that information, managers can't connect with workers or get them to perform at peak levels, he says.
"Taking a personal interest in an employee is not a one-time thing, something to be checked" on a to-do list. "It needs to be reinforced and demonstrated again and again."
Irrelevance. "Everyone needs to know that their job matters -- to someone. Without seeing a connection between the work and the satisfaction of another person or group, an employee won't find fulfillment," Lencioni said.
Managers' remedy: To make jobs more relevant, ensure that workers can easily answer this question: "Whom am I helping -- and how?" Employees must be able to relate every action on the job to the needs of a customer -- an internal customer or an outside one.
"High school kids at In-N-Out Burger and Chick-fil-A are doing largely the same job that kids at any other fast-food restaurant are doing, and yet there are a lot fewer miserable jobs" at those two firms.
"The difference is not the job itself. It is the management. One of the most important things that managers must do is help employees see why their work matters," Lencioni said.
Immeasurability. Workers must be able to "gauge their progress and level of contribution for themselves. They can't be fulfilled if their success depends on the opinions or whims of another person," he said. "Without a tangible means for assessing success or failure, motivation eventually deteriorates." And productivity collapses.
Managers' remedy: Make sure workers can measure progress against a consistent standard.
Pinpoint "areas that an employee can directly influence" and ensure that metrics are geared to workers' customers -- inside the firm or out.
