Four Practical Ways to Find True Career Fulfilment in Times of Constant Change

Are you feeling unfulfilled in your job? Suffering feelings of demotivation sometimes because “something” is missing? Want to know how to find that “something” and take back control?

Read on to understand what can support you in building a fulfilling career in times of constant change - one that’s right for you.

“It’s no secret that since the pandemic, many people have started reflecting on their careers and what’s important to them.”

With many employees secretly longing for more career fulfilment, new job postings on their LinkedIn feed started to look rather tempting. Some of them even took a sneak peek to see if the grass might be greener on the other side.

According to McKinsey's recent survey, some of the top reasons why employees would choose to leave their jobs are due to a lack of career development and advancement, a lack of meaningful work, and unsupportive team members, lack of health and well-being support and workplace flexibility.

In the aftermath of 'The Great Resignation', and in a world where change has become a constant, 'Quiet Quitting' is also on the increase. 'Quiet Quitting' is when employees start to disengage at work, reducing their efforts to the bare minimum required.

These factors not only have an impact on how you feel but it’s also a challenge for team dynamics too. While you might find temporary solace in purposeful underachievement or disengagement, chances are it will leave you with a feeling of personal unfulfilment.

“As a global performance coach, I find people struggling with finding “career fulfilment”, regardless of the field of work or the level of seniority. For me, in times of change and discomfort, we need to focus on what we can control. ”

So here are four practical ways to do so to unlock better career fulfilment, allowing you to find more joy and meaning in your career. These come from the work I do with teams and individuals, using our tools and research at Mentally Fit.

1. Define your frame for more freedom

Forget flexibility. What really aids fulfilment is the right amount of autonomy - not too little, but also not too much.

“Leaders play a key role in giving the right amount of autonomy to their employees, but it’s also up to every one of us to clarify the so-called “grey zones”.”

Allow me to explain this. When briefing a new assignment to the team, one could describe in detail how to do it, e.g, telling them which platform to use, suggesting which team members to involve through which communication channel, describing every step to take and dictating word by word how to manage the client.

Another option is to allow total freedom in the team, letting them execute however they choose and only focusing on the desired outcome. There is no briefing, no suggestion on who should take which role, no advice ‒ only targets. Which of the two options above would you prefer?

Neither of these options is ideal.

“Imposing too many rules can lead to micromanagement, killing innovation and motivation. However, defining too few rules may give rise to a lot of “free ridership”.”

For example, if "role distribution" is not clear, team members can avoid taking on their responsibility or, worse, blame each other for mistakes made.

Whenever things are unclear in your role, it’s important to clarify the "grey zones". You can create what we call "full autonomy in the frame" by establishing the "zone-of-choice" and the "zone-of-no-choice". Look to define what the strict rules are that you need to follow ("no choice") and where you can make your own decisions (“choice”). Are the rules of the game clear before you start the project?

The more clearly you define the frame, the more autonomy you will find in your job. This is what we call "full autonomy in the frame" ‒ where you have clarity as to what you need to follow and what you can determine yourself.

2. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. Check in on your energy levels & act accordingly.

Do you give the best of yourself at work and bring the "leftovers" home? Is your partner, family or friend often commenting about your energy being low when you come home from giving it your all? If yes, then the chances are high that you’re not managing your energy well. If you truly want to find fulfilment in your life, you must make your career sustainable, and efficiently managing your energy is the first priority.

“Finding the right tempo is key to sustained performance, especially in top performance environments that thrive on change.”

Stretch yourself for performance but take care of yourself by recovering fast and efficiently in the time you have left.

“The busier we get, the more we need to prioritise the three most important sources of recovery: sleep, nutrition and physical activity.”

Regularly evaluate your energy "boosters" and "drainers". What is giving you energy now (e.g, sports, social contacts, recognition, hobbies, purpose) vs. what is draining your energy?

3. Contribute to the ‘vibe of your tribe’

Co-workers’ treatment of one another and managers’ leadership styles greatly influence job fulfilment.

“While IQ is not contagious, you can boost your social-relational skills (EQ) by surrounding yourself with inspirational, respectful and empathetic people.”

Being acknowledged for the exceptional effort, time or expertise you put into your job affirms your value as an employee and contributes to your professional satisfaction. Employers that offer fulfilling jobs use various methods to recognise the excellence of their team members.

Understand and identify your preferred mark of recognition (read my previous article "The Gentle Art of Recognition: Appreciating Others in the Workplace” to learn more) and contribute to ‘the vibe of your tribe’ by thanking your team members for their efforts.

When recognition is the foundation of workplace relationships, every employee can maintain greater self-esteem as well as boosting overall feelings of fulfilment.

4. Radiate your core values

Fulfilling careers allow you to bring your "whole self" to work and apply your core values to purposeful work.

“Only recently have we discovered that one of the causes of burn-out is a “values mismatch”. ”

Mental and physical exhaustion can often result from the emotional stress we experience when too much of our time is spent on something that is out of alignment with our values.

“One way of discovering what your core values are is to think back to both the bitter and the sweetest moments of your life. ”

Often, it’s from these moments that your core values were formed. They are characterised by what you care about the most. Once you’ve identified what your core values are, you can steer your career in the right direction.

By radiating your core values, you enable your most authentic self to work with like-minded co-workers who share similar values, improving team dynamics and removing possible frictions.

The Takeaway…

Whichever way you develop your potential, the most important thing is to prioritise yourself by taking frequent pit stops at any given time in your career, to reflect and to evaluate all the above.

“In a world where ‘being busy’ is so often glorified, I believe in the power of stopping. ”

The more pit stops you take to evaluate and stretch your career in these four dimensions, the more you’ll build a fulfilling career with plenty of personal growth opportunities that you can control. Because the grass is simply greener where you water it.

Wishing you all the best in nourishing your flourishing careers!