Most of us have landed in our jobs for a variety of reasons, and while I really do love what I get to do on a daily basis I know that is not the reality for most people in the workforce. If you were to go to the typical cube farm and yell out the question – “how many people here are doing what they were born to do?” How many hands do you think would go up? I bet I could count the number on one hand. I have been to countless meetings with companies to talk about staffing and later be contacted by that same person asking if I can help them find another job.
So is the idea of doing what we were meant to do, or the idea of the dream job not a reality in 2008 or going forward? I personally think there is now more opportunity than ever before for people to try new things and pursue the type of work that they would love to do. First it takes courage – it takes courage from an HR professional or Manager to tell someone they may be better off doing something else and that their current job doesn’t really fit them. Why does it take courage you may ask? Because nobody wants to intentionally hurt someone else’s feelings or create turnover in a company.
Instead we would rather let a low performer continue to perform lowly because they show up everyday. That is not true talent management. Sometimes we just need to be honest and admit that someone may not want to work at our company for the next five to ten years and create a work-plan around that for them to be engaged while they are here. We also need to realize that we are not doing anyone any favors by allowing them to continue to flounder in a job that truly brings them no happiness or life improvement.
It also takes courage on the employee side to be willing to not only have a dream and a goal, but also be willing to pursue that dream and goal – we should be respectful of both.
What do you think?
Is the dream job still possible? Is it easier for people to transition into work that is meaningful to them? Should HR and Managers be the ones to drive this type of thinking in organizations?
A one year follow up on a study of social media adoption at 500 of the fastest growing companies in the US has found that familiarity with and use of blogs, podcasting, wikis, online video and social networking has skyrocketed in 2008 to nearly double what it was in 2007. 77% of respondents now report at least some use of a social media tool in their business.
