What Do You Love About Your Job?

When I interact with people I often like to ask the question "What do you love about your job?" I not only ask my friends, family, and colleagues but also the people who provide specialized services to me. I ask this question because I think it helps me get to know people better. I also learn more about other people's jobs. However, what I have discovered is that often people learn something about themselves when they answer me.

Some people have been so surprised about my question. One person told me that in all his years of work no one had asked him that question. Another person hesitated because she had never thought about it. However, she did answer me in the most thoughtful, meaningful way which showed that she was making some internal connections about her work. Others easily shared a wide range of answers.

I believe a part of leadership skills is being aware of our passions. It is part of that process of self reflection and personal check-in to discover how we are doing. Everyone self reflects in different ways and at different times, but I find it helpful to make the time to do this.

Working with communities I have seen so many people doing what they love: working with people at a community level. The jobs may have different titles, the tasks will be diverse, and the job descriptions or volunteer positions varied. However, it seems that the main focus of the job is helping people increase their quality of life.

What a passion to have: contributing to the quality of life in the community. Those contributions and passions have the opportunity to be powerful in the most positive ways... Keep doing what you love!