TLDR (Too long did not read): 3 Traits to stay happy at work.
- Resilience: Get ready to receive many punches.
- Accountability: You are uniquely and entirely responsible for the quality of your work.
- Curiosity: Do you understand what’s going around you?
The COVID crisis triggered the so called “great resignation”, but the truth is that the work revolution has been in the making for years.
As we saw it in the last 30 years, the corporate culture is gone for good. Stakeholders and companies are resisting the change, which is very typical, but sooner or later, they will need to evolve.
Before the Pandemic, several companies adopted steps towards well-being: inclusion, mindfulness at work and remote or flexible working are some examples. Today, fall of 2021, those things are almost the norm.
So what are the skills that can make you thrive in a constantly evolving world, where you don’t have an office, a fix desk, not even a base country!
1- Resilience
Either if you are part of corporate or even more in a startup, things are moving fast. One of my previous employers changed my position six times in three years. Every day I saw unbelievable promotions, demotions, relocations and firings. From what other public companies say, this is now standard practice. At least once every 18 months, they shuffle everything around.
Here is where resilience plays a significant role: Resilience is the ability to adapt to stress, change, and adversity successfully. It’s the ability to “bounce back”.
We are programmed for survivorship, to find a safe zone, for comfort. But a career safe zone no longer exists, and we need to re-program our brains for change. So get ready to find a new job every few years, work on projects where you will change your colleagues every six months, and be reorganized and sent to the other corner of the country or the world. Staying fluid and embracing change (or chaos) is fundamental to resilience.
So next time your boss moves you to a new project, try not to be upset but excited. It won’t last long anyway.
2- Accountability
When I started working a few years ago, I was accountable to go to the office every day. That was it.
If we did a bit better or worse wasn’t that important. What mattered was that I was there in the office. Summing hours of hard work and meetings made my boss happy.
A few years later, I started receiving objectives and targets. Of course, you still could make it through even if your KPIs were a bit weak, but you grind at the office.
Today I am writing from home, and I work with people in six different countries. I would probably never meet any of them, but they have all the same goal. (Hint: It is not 8 hours a day of meetings.)
Results!! That is what holds you accountable in a virtual and international working setting. Not your suit, impeccable makeup or even your cool home office.
The business has become more transactional than ever. First, I hire you to produce results. Then, it is up to you from home, the train, or a park. Hit your targets, and I will say cheers to your Bali beach office.
3- Curiosity
You can detect a curious person by the frequency they ask why.
“Our company shares are rising 15%”. What is the most common reaction among employees? Indifference. At most, my bonus is a bit closer. But some people, those that are curious, will ask themselves and others; WHY?
Curiosity is a trait of the winners. They want to know more. So they connect the dots through the whys to confirm their hypothesis and build plans.
Have you heard about Blockchain or Cryptocurrencies? Sure you have. But have you googled what blockchain is? Why are cryptocurrencies so popular? How do they work? If you have congratulations, if not, it is never too late.
Qualities, the same as skills, can be trained and improved. As work evolves, so will do personal traits.
