Happy at Work?

Amazingly, most of us will spend half of our waking lives at work. Are you happy?

Few people can combine earning a living with a genuine passion. Most people essentially trade half of their life in return for money to enjoy the other half.

Yet, we can find great meaning in our work without that job having to be cancer research or working for Greenpeace. We just need to find the meaning within the work we're doing or make that meaning clear.


Step 1. Find the purpose

Essentially, we all want to feel part of something bigger, so the first step is seeing that bigger picture or purpose in our work. For leaders, it can be as simple as focusing on the why, as much as the how, when communicating with teams. Of course, the purpose needs to feel inherently meaningful. Profits are a perfectly good goal but they make a lousy purpose.

For many teams, we think the customer experience can provide that bigger purpose. It's not world peace, but improving the customer experience is a lot more inherently meaningful than just increasing margins. A focus on customer experience is essentially about understanding customers and creating a positive experience for them. Making them feel good. Even if we're selling hot dogs, we can find some inherent meaning in improving the customer's experience during that sale.


We humans aren't such a bad bunch; for the most part we actually enjoy making other people happy, especially those drawn to working in hospitality. You know the little thrill we get when someone drops something in the street we can hand it back to them? It took no real effort on our part, of course, but we still enjoy having done a good thing. Almost all of us are hard-wired with a little empathy and generosity. We find some meaning in focusing on another person's experience.

Step 2. See the individual contribution

Next, once we have an effort worth being part of, we need to see the individual role we personally play in that overall effort. We empathetic, generous humans are also a more than a little egotistical. So although we want to be part of something bigger, we don't want to disappear completely within it. We're each only one small piece of the puzzle, but we'd like that piece to be noticed and valuable in some way.

Step 3. Encourage ideas

And finally, step three: we want our ideas to be heard. It's another of our human quirks: the desire to have our input considered and to feel that we have some impact on the way things are done. Ask me my opinion, listen to my suggestions and I'll feel much more ownership of our shared goals.


So, the good news is that we're never more than three steps away from making any role meaningful - whether it's answering the phone, making ads or selling insurance. Which is just as well, because we can't all save the whales.

I've Got Attitude!

We all know how tough the economy is currently, but it's toughest on skilled hospitality professionals that have been looking for work for an extended time. So now more than ever, your attitude is so important in an industry where it plays such a major factor any day.

How much does having the right attitude affect your career development, getting a job, or fitting in with the company culture? A positive attitude is the cause of a successful job search, not the result, esecially in this industry where quality of people interaction is paramount.

If you're looking for work, it's just common sense that the more negative you are about your own abilities, your job prospects, the companies you apply to work for, and life in general, the less likely you are to land a job. Employers want people who believe in themselves and their skills, who want to work, who want to work for them, and who generally have a positive attitude.

While maintaining a positive attitude is vital to a successful job search, the sluggish economy will make it discouraging. It may seem impossible to revive that positive energy level, but there are many things you can do to bring your rosy outlook back to life and keep it in good shape.

Number one is to feel good about yourself and yur skills and work achievements. This is the key to a positive attitude, and all the points that follow are ways of helping you feel good about yourself.

Speak positively about yourself and your abilities. You know the story about the little engine that could, right? What you believe about yourself is the foundation of all your future actions.

Take charge! Accept responsibility for your life and your job search. It is not up to your mother, father, girlfriend or boyfriend, or your aunt Zelda in Jasper to find you a job. Although your network can be a definite help, YOU are responsible for the success of your job search.

Don't focus on regrets or perceived mistakes. Instead of blaming yourself and constantly rehashing past mistakes, take the opportunity to learn from the past. Build on past experiences to improve yourself and your abilities. You should remind yourself that the current hospitality market is very much an employees one and many are putting the bottom line first and avoiding hiring until it's absolutely necessary - it's not personal and likely not a commentary about your skills.

Stop worrying about the future. While you don't want to live in the past, you also don't want to live in the future. Worrying is a habit, and you can change the habit if you really try. If you find yourself stuck in a negativity rut, shovel yourself out by focusing on your hopes and dreams rather than on your fears. Hiring managers have many ways of knowing when a candidate does not bring a positive attitude to the interview.

Flatter yourself. The job search is no time to be humble. Read every complimentary thing about yourself that you can find. Letters of praise, past awards, performance appraisals, or any other positive recognitions you have are good ways to remind yourself of your worth and talents. Paste these things on a wall or a bulletin board in your work area to boost your spirits whenever you feel a little down.

Start each day on a positive, upbeat note. The start of your day will set the tempo for everything that follows. Do something every morning that will put you in a good mood, whether that is taking a walk, listening to some upbeat music, doing a crossword, or just relaxing with a good cup of coffee.

Get physical! You've heard the saying, "healthy body, healthy mind." Keeping yourself healthy and in good physical shape will boost your energy level and make it easier to maintain a positive mental attitude.

Develop a plan each day of job hunting goals to accomplish. Sticking to your schedule as closely as possible will provide focus to your job search. Might I suggest talking to your friendly hosptiality recruiter to start?

Keep up appearances. While nobody expects you to wear a suit and tie every day on your job search, try not to dress too casually.

Get networking on-line and locally and join an association to keep up to date on developments and trends. It will help you develop your network and put you in contact with people that have interests similar to yours and to know others are in a similar situation. A positive attitude is contagious so surround yourself with supportive, positive people.

Finally, be sure to reward yourself for your job hunting efforts and do something enjoyable and relaxing that will take your mind off job hunting. Remember that nothing ever stays the same and the hospitality market in the West has had many ups and downs that we have come through successfully and your positive attitude will ensure just that.