Quit if it isn't Fun...
By Jay Forte

The other day, I heard the best question to ask someone you just met. Instead of “What do you do?” ask, “Why do you do what you do?” Then listen to see if you hear the responses to these questions in their answer: Does it engage you? Do you feel important? Does it make you think? Do you get to contribute? Do you get to make a difference?

The answers will give you great insight into people…and generally two things happen:

1. Some people have no idea why they do what they do; they just show up and do their job until it is time to go home. Maybe they had filled in for someone one day and just stayed. Or maybe there were next in line in a natural progression for promotion. There are many reasons but most of the time, this employee, who doesn’t know why they do what they do, is not that impressed with their job…it is just a job. They count the hours and minutes until the day is over. Bland, boring, blah.
2. Some others absolutely know why the do what they do because they love it; it appeals to an aspect of their personality or it gives them a level of professional satisfaction. The get excited about what they do because they have the ability of contributing in a big way and of feeling competent. In this case, they thought about their role and how it matched what they like to do; they planned their response. Exciting, engaging, fun.

The performance in 2 is significantly better than the performance in 1. And that directs this conversation to the word “talents” because in most cases, the people in 2 are aware of what they like to do and what comes naturally to them. They choose this role because it gives them great personal satisfaction and they seem to have a predisposition to the thinking that is involved. Their jobs just seem to fit. They find the jobs inspiring, challenging and rewarding.

Historically, we are most happy when we work in roles that match our talents. We are most happy when we have a voice in determining what we do and how we do it. We are most happy when we make a difference in the workplace and feel capable and competent. This happens when we choose our work, our roles and our jobs based on our talents and interests.

So the answer to “Why do you do what you do?” is generally, “It is in line with my talents and I love doing it. I get excited each morning knowing that I get to do it again. It makes me fee important, valuable and successful. I make a difference, have fun and get a chance to be great.” Imagine if we all could say that each day about our work. Think of the response our customers would have if each employee felt this way. Just imagine.

Our role as managers is to help align employees into the right roles to help them answer the question posed earlier (why do I do what I do?) with the answer: “Because my manager spent time with me to know me well enough to know what job was right for me and in line with the way I think. And now I wow both him and myself with my performance. And that is why I do what I do.”

So, what would you say if someone asked you, “Why do you do what you do?” Quit if it isn’t fun.

Jay Forte - Speaker, Consultant, Talent Strategist and Author, Humanetrics, LLC Contact and blog at www.humanetricsllc.com or 401.338.3505