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A Dozen Dynamite Ways To Detour Dropouts
You may have read this headline in your local newspaper this week: "Dropout Rate Getting Worse." The article noted thatt despite all the advancements made in our society, we still do not know how to ensure that we fully educate all of our young.
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Legal Assistants And Paralegals - The Future Is Bright
One of most common ways to become a legal assistant or paralegal
is through a community college program that leads to an
associate's degree. Another common route; primarily for those
who already have a college degree, is through a program...
Maximizing the Impact of Your Resume
Job-hunting can be a daunting experience. You might find it
difficult to know where to begin to find the job that is most
appropriate for you. Searching for employment can also be a
full-time job in itself, requiring you to spend countless...
Medical Transcription, An Emerging Winner
There are distinct objectives to consider when trying to choose a career, including knowing yourself, knowing your options, knowing how you constitute decisions and addressing any barriers to your decision-making. Effective career decision-making...
The Virtual Job Market
In the last decade, there has been an increase in the virtual
job market. This is due to the major decline in corporate jobs.
Whether you have a college degree or high school diploma, the
higher paying positions just aren't there for the taking....
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Get Beyond Your Tasks
Ever hear the story of the two masons working side by side at a building site? They're doing the same work under pretty much the same conditions. Then, one day a stranger comes along, approaches one of the men and asks him, "What are you doing?" "I don't know and I don't care," replies the man, his voice brimming with irritation. All I do is slap this crummy mortar on these crummy bricks and pile them up in a crummy line. That's what I'm doing."
The stranger returns to the building site the next day. This time he approaches the second man, asking him the same question. "Tell me," he said, "what are you doing?" Smiling at the stranger, the man proudly replies, "Why, I'm helping to build the new cathedral."
I don't know about you, but in my twenty years in management I met plenty of people like the first mason. People doing what they were told to do, without a greater context or purpose. People focused on what they were doing, not why they were doing it. People who clearly didn't like their job, and clearly weren't winning at working.
When you define the purpose for your work, you create a vision behind the tasks, and that vision changes results. Think about it. What are you helping to build in your workplace? Why does your work matter? Before you say it doesn't, think again. You have an important role or you wouldn't be paid to do it. Of course, it's unlikely you'll find the purpose outlined in your job description. You see, defining your purpose is not about the tasks you do. It's about the reason for the tasks.
So if you're an employment specialist in Human Resources,
your purpose is not to hire people. That's a task. The reason behind the task might be to increase your company's competitive edge with exceptional people. If you're a web designer, your job is not to build websites. That's a task. Your purpose is in the why of it. Maybe it's to build the corporate brand or make life easier for your customers. Look beyond your title.
In one of my jobs, my purpose was to help the company develop a winning culture; in another it was to help build trust in the corporate brand so new customers would give us a try. My job title would never have told you about either.
But here's a secret. People who are winning at working don't wait for someone else, like their boss, to define their work's purpose. They figure it out. They define it. They create a vision for themselves.
People who are winning at working can articulate how the work they do supports their organization's vision, values, goals and objectives. They're not satisfied doing tasks like the first mason. They're like the second. They want to understand and contribute to the whole. They want to know that what they do at work matters. Want to be winning at working? Define your work's purpose. And get beyond your tasks.
(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Sign up to receive Nan's free eColumn, Winning at Working, at http://www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. Currently working on her first book, Nan is a writer, columnist, small business owner, and instructor.
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