ANGELIQUE ELECTRA
No two people do the same work the same way. Like our DNA, our work expression is like no other. There are differences in the way each of us engage our work –how we infuse our talents, gifts, intelligence, values — and our personalities. Whether introverted or extroverted, analytical or free-associating, or sole contributor or manager, there is a form of your own unique self-expression through your work. The question is whether you are expressing enough of who you are to be happy and stimulated in your work. The inquiry is also whether you are creating opportunities to pour more of YOU into your job.
The concept of “job crafting” first emanated from a study that concluded that people often create for themselves a scope of work that better honors their deeper values–beyond the narrow job description.
To “job craft” is to implement a strategy designed to yield more genuine self-expression and satisfaction within the scope of a defined work role.
It starts with a self-initiated inquiry to review everything you do, what you love to do, what you don’t, and how you do it all. Sometimes we do not recognize we perform others’ jobs, fail to delegate or make more efficient or automated the things that are not utilizing our full value for our employers or clients. By examining the components of our activities, we can begin to build on ways to add value within the scope of our work, and even beyond the defined scope.
As a Creative living inside a Lawyer, I determined pretty early that most elements of practicing law would not satisfy me. Litigation and legal compliance did not draw me. I valued other things about a legal practice though. I began to notice that I loved imaginative strategy — thinking about the path to get to an end. I also loved to write, and influence through negotiation. I liked nursing business owners into a meeting of the minds toward an effective working relationship. I also realized I am a Helper by nature …enjoying facilitating others to achieve their goals, through engagement, with counsel and illuminating the blind spots in transactions. I molded my legal career around these elements, saying no to a number of other offered opportunities that would have led me off my path of what I most enjoyed. Over time, the breadcrumbs allowed me to piece together my own job description while honoring the needs and valid expectations of my clients and employer.
If you are finding that doing your job feels like walking around in pinching, tight shoes, it may not be the right job for you. On the other hand, you may not be recognizing the possibilities of “job-crafting,” particularly if the kind of work you’re in is a necessary stepping stone to gain access to the opportunities you most want.
You can empower yourself to shape your job to count for both you and your employer, customers or clients.
So, where to start? This is a process I’ve used. You can also use the Job Crafting Exercise.
Describe your 5 highest values. Your calling derives from your values and how you describe what fulfills you. What matters most to you? How do express your desires? What are the themes or actions demonstrating your calling? It may be learning, personal freedom, contributing to others, being creative, leading or communicating, as examples
Assess the components of your current work. Using active verbs to describe them, list the components of your work. I suggest creating cut-outs of each work activity that you can freely group or arrange. Review each work activity component and assign the percentage of your time you allocate to it. Begin to group them in that order. If you see some themes, organize the components around them.
Review the goals and strategies of your employer, customers or clients. Then, on a scale of 1-10, with “10” being at the top of the range of meaningfulness and value, rank each component of your work activity, and notice where it falls within the time category.
Note those components or elements where you are spending the most significant time and the least. Also note with a + or – sign that it is positive or negative for you as a preference. For those components which have a negative sign, assess how much more efficient you could be or if the thing is critical to your performance. Should someone else be doing it? Is there room to delegate or assign it out?
Describe your preferred work style – together or alone, or both? Notice the degree to which collaborating or working as part of a team is important to you, and if so, is there enough of that? Conversely, do you find yourself attending too many meetings, unable to focus on getting other activities done, without enough alone time?
Identify those activities that you enjoy and that would benefit the goals of your employer or client(s), but you usually don’t get to do. With fresh eyes, is it something important that could replace something you conclude is really less important, or could be done more efficiently to give you more time?
Once these steps are all completed, you should be able to see some opportunities to shift or reduce your time spent on the pieces that don’t materially matter, or to create new opportunities to expand those activities that add the most value. This provides an opportunity to assess where you can better express your natural gifts and talents. You may also see opportunities to better control your calendar and proactively plan your priorities.
You may also become more aware that certain degrees of personal interactions are necessary for your well-being at work. This could include periodic check-ins with your manager as you enhance your job or lay the groundwork for promotional opportunities. It could be brainstorming with or having lunch with a colleague from another department to broaden your insights, or engaging in available training or mentoring opportunities.
Job crafting affords you a fresh look at everything you do, and to assess how to make your work “Brand You” to satisfy some important elements of fulfillment for you. It entails making new, conscious decisions. While adhering to the expectations of the job, you are creating a vehicle of self-expression, achievement and growth.
You Can Empower and Support Your Calling at Work.
What’s your next step?
Here are some useful links for you to further explore job crafting:
What is Job Crafting? (Incl. 5 Examples and Exercises)
https://hbr.org/2020/03/what-job-crafting-looks-like
For the Job Crafting Exercise: https://jobcrafting.com/
and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AmdnUULuhY