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| DESCRIPTION | |
| When it's lacking: - Employees seem afflicted with a serious case of organizational boredom. - "I can do my job with my eyes closed." - People are falling far short of their potential, not because they lack talent and skill, but because the workplace fails to call on their full expertise. |
When it's thriving: + The workplace is full of challenges for employees who want them. + People are in work situations that require them to make full use of their talents. + The challenges are demanding yet doable. |
| EXAMPLES |
| To Carol, a grade-school librarian, nothing is more energizing than a good challenge
-- and nothing is more challenging than finding just the right book for a seven-year-old.
"No two children are alike," she says. "I spend the better part of
my time getting to know the kids and trying to find a book that will really get them
going." She has her own tracking system for knowing when it all comes together:
"I can see their eyes light up." Greg's most meaningful work experience also happened to be his most exhausting. He managed a city-wide campaign to pass a school levy, and it took "every ounce of energy we could muster." The situation called for long days (and long nights) as campaign workers stuffed envelopes, made calls, paid door-to-door visits, and strategized. By the time it was over, everyone was ready to drop, and yet "it felt great. We had truly taken on the challenge." "There will never be a dull moment." With those words, Amy's editor welcomed her to her first day as a daily-newspaper reporter. She had the usual new-job jitters, but she wanted to get thrown into the deep end sooner rather than later. And that's exactly what happened. By the end of the week, she was covering big stories in city politics and community affairs. But that was three years ago, and now, Amy recalls her editor's never-a-dull-moment comment to explain why the job seems empty. "I never thought I'd say this, but I can do the job too well," she says. "Sometimes I just seem to be on auto-pilot as I interview someone or write a story. I'm waiting for the real big story to come around -- something that really tests my skills." |
| ACTION IDEAS |
| What about your personal work situation? Are you being challenged in a good way?
If not, what can you do to turn things around? Can you take an old situation and
throttle it up to make it more compelling? Are you within reaching distance of new
challenges? Take stock...then take action. What about the people around you? Do you get the sense that they're being challenged? Talk with them, listen, find out. What are their ideas for restoring a true spirit of challenge? Each person can create a personal plan. Have employees set their own goals -- for learning, customer service, performance, and so forth. Goals that come from within are worlds apart from goals that are imposed. They come with built-in commitment. What's more, people tend to be more demanding of themselves. Hold occasional "new" days or half-days when all the emphasis is on doing something different. Someone could try a new approach to an old job, or try her hand at an entirely new task. Or two people could use the day to swap jobs entirely. Obviously, a day of total newness requires planning -- in some workplaces more than others. But it's well worth the effort. New challenges have a way of generating new energy. |
| Copyright 1998-2002 by Tom Terez and Tom Terez Workplace Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 21444, Columbus, Ohio USA 43221-0444. Tel. 614-571-9529..mail@BetterWorkplaceNow.com HOME | 10-Minute Briefing | Free Online Tools | Insight and Inspiration | Laugh and Learn | Buzzword Bingo | Kits, Books, and Tools | Keynotes and Services | Meet Tom Terez | Tell a Friend | Bronze Access |
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