The holy grail

My friend Cynthia, who appears previously in this blog, spent several months in India as a Dasra Fellow, and we met a few days before her return to England. Despite having a job to return to, her transition prompted her to think about what it means to be satisfied in a job.

Her ideas reminded me of Maslow's theory of motivation, in which we strive to satisfy our needs according to a hierarchy: at the bottom of the hierarchy are basic, physiological needs like food, water and air. Then come safety needs like shelter, social needs like friendship, esteem needs like affirmation – and at the very top, if we're fortunate, we achieve self-actualization, a state of satisfied existence. 

In Cynthia's view, a great job satisfies four needs; I've added a fifth. I've listed them in the order which I think represents a kind of hierarchy – most to least fundamental, and least to most rare – and have added a personal take on each one.

1. Autonomy. I think autonomy is critical in one's job in the same way that a sense of control is important in personal life. When I am being micro- and over-managed, I won't bother thinking for myself or engaging with the overarching goal of the activity, since I have not been empowered or trusted to do so. I become passive and de-motivated. Conversely, when I've been given the autonomy to think and act for myself, when I have ownership over a project, I feel I have an opportunity to showcase the best of myself, and I am motivated to rise to that occasion.

2. Professionalism. Maturity (or immaturity) is to the individual person what professionalism is to an organization. Professionalism is never explicitly taught, so we all show up on Day 1 with varying levels of intuition about it. Fundamental behaviors – like timeliness to meetings, basic accountability, not talking behind people's backs, and never letting business conflicts get personal – are all too rare. These types of unprofessionalism can make work stressful and exhausting.

3. Meritocracy*. Like professionalism, meritocracy in the workplace should be automatic, but for many reasons, including the difficulty in objectively assessing merit, it is not. Ultimately, how one defines merit is less important than feeling that when you've got it – merit – you'll be rewarded. That's Fairness 101.

4. Intellectual rigor**. In order to feel committed and motivated in my job, I need to know that my colleagues and organization are committed to making decisions based on rigor – not emotion, populism, intuition or favoritism. I need to know that if I put forth the best idea, there is a good chance it will be well-received. Moreover, when I get to engage with a serious intellectual challenge at work I'm not only helping the organization but also having fun (especially when it involves drawing diagrams on a white board).

5. A mission you believe in. As I've noted here previously, contributing to a mission which is greater than oneself is not only motivating but also fulfilling. If the conditions of autonomy, professionalism and intellectual rigour are all satisfied, having a mission you believe in would make the holy grail.

Note 1: Meritocracy is my addition.
Note 2: For operations enthusiasts out there, the notion of intellectual rigor making the list might be offensive. A lot of people might argue that at the end of the day, what feels good is rolling up your sleeves and getting shit done. That's true, but it's unrelated to this list, which is not about the activities which are rewarding, but rather about the workplace conditions which must exist to foster a satisfying job experience.