The secret to a satisfying career

How to thrive in any circumstance

It was a Sunday night, I was out to dinner with some friends, old and new. The sushi was delicious in unexpected ways (if you ever get the chance to try Asian pear with gochujang aioli in a shrimp tempura roll, I highly recommend). The music was at the perfect volume to set the mood without forcing everyone to scream their conversations at each other.

“So, what do you do?” the question came at me, and of course it felt familiar as most generic “getting to know you” questions do. I explained a bit of what I did, and tried not to get too carried away, because I genuinely love what I do and my passion can sometimes get the better of me.

The next day, a software developer I coach was telling me about their career evolution. They had gone through several phases, starting off very romantic. Doing passion projects, working for peanuts at a start up. After a while, they felt the tension of not making enough to sustain their life and moved on.

Next they settled in a large corporation, driving toward the company’s objectives. Hitting deadlines at all costs. Climbing the corporate ladder. Holding large amounts of stress in their body. Ultimately burning out.

Finally they landed here, at Clevertech.

Remembering the conversation I had the previous night, and how easily we intertwine what we do with who we are, I wondered: In a world where we need to work to live, and our work takes up a large amount of our time : How can we create a work experience that feels satisfying?

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With this question in mind I started to dig a bit more into my developer’s experience.

Live in flow

Life is always flowing.
Day turns to night, winter gives way to spring, we inhale and exhale.

Maybe creating a work experience that is satisfying is not about striving for a static balance but understanding what allows for wholeness.

Wholeness means having all the components necessary to exist in a whole and complete way. It’s having the energy to do, the discipline to pause and the wisdom to know which of the two is right in each circumstance.

Like a pendulum that swings to one side, only to feel the pull of the opposite force swinging back, I suspect finding satisfaction is a dance, full of adjustments and movement.

Freedom, Mastery, Purpose

My developer and I continued reflecting on his career.

When he found himself at the start up, full of passion and romantic notions of grander, neglecting taking care of his physical needs proved to be a problem. It was not sustainable to push and push without adequate compensation or time to rest and reflect.

When my dev moved to a larger company, he had plenty of compensation and was very focused on the client’s outcomes, but feeling like a small insignificant cog in a large machine left him feeling like his work was pointless.

Finally landing here at Clevertech, he began to piece together what had changed, and it wasn’t necessarily the environment (although some of it was) it was HIM.

Peace and Performance

Through coaching, he began to identify his own values. What mattered most to HIM. He started living INTO those values and regained a sense of purpose that was intrinsic - rather than external.

He began challenging himself, taking ownership of his own growth and development. He increased his self awareness and started to understand when it was time to push for big development, lots of energy and some late nights, and when it was time to rest, reflect, strategize and recover.

This was where he found his center.
A place where he felt satisfied and at peace, while still leaning forward as a high performer.

Calibrating your career

The only way to find center is to dance around it.

Self-awareness and asking the deeper questions is what leads us to uncover what is missing (purpose? freedom? mastery?) so we can reach out for the resources needed to adapt and grow.

Maybe what we do is only a small part of who we are, but it is an important one. When we invest our time to make it a place we feel satisfied and aligned, we regain agency and power in our lives.

Resources? I don’t need no stinking resources!

(Imagine that title in your best NY Italian mob boss voice)

As a coach I always ask: “What resources do you need to thrive in this situation?”

I usually get blank stares and assurances that no resources are needed.

Just in case…here are some resources that might be helpful to obtain greater satisfaction in your career:

Lead with the body
Use your body to change your mind. Don’t use your mind to change your mind, it doesn’t work.

• Get enough sleep

• Move your body

• Get into nature

• Do some deep breathing

One of my favorite quotes is: “If you think you hate everyone, have something to eat. If you think everyone hates you, get some sleep.”

Examine the mind
Once you have changed your state, explore the story.

• Clarity (What am I thinking about this situation? Is my thinking true? Is it clear? Is it impacting the actions I am taking? How?)

• Validation/Support (Am I being really critical of myself? Am I holding myself to an impossible standard? Is that pressure creating friction that is unnecessary and could easily be relieved with a perspective shift?)

• Perspective Shift (How are the stories I’m telling myself impacting how I think and feel about the situation I’m in? What would another perspective give me?)

Build a strategy
Now it’s time to move into action. Make it simple.

• Action Plan (What would right action look like in this situation? What is outside of my control? What is within my control? What are my next steps?)

• Accountability (Where am I spending my time? Where am I placing my energy? Is that serving me? What actions do I need to take that I am avoiding?)