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How To Find Fulfilling Work (2012)

by Roman Krznaric(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1447202287 (ISBN13: 9781447202288)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Pan Publishing

review 1: This is a worthy question for the School of Life series to take on, and Roman Krznaric does an excellent job thoughtfully examining the thorny problems of career fulfillment we crave, knowingly or not. Krznaric mixes anecdotes, historical context, and modern and ancient philosophy to present a proposed action plan that any reader can use to ask ourselves probing questions to get to the heart of what is or would be fulfilling for us. Krznaric posits that there are five primary aspects to making a job meaningful: earning money, achieving status, making a difference, following our passions, and using our talents. From person to person, the way we prioritize these aspects when we select our jobs will differ, and will differ over time as we select different jobs or switch into ... morenew career paths in search of more or differently fulfilling work. I particularly appreciated Krznaric's focus on the wide achievement rather than deep achievement. In the past, it may have made perfect sense to specialize deeply in one field, but it is less true of the modern economy, where people are expected to grow and change and reinvent themselves to keep up with the demands of changing needs. This book offers both the theory and the practice of wide achievement as a path to fulfillment. I'd recommend this slim little volume to anyone starting or re-starting to ask questions about what to do with his or her life. That question is just as relevant at 52 as it is at 22, because we never stop learning how to live and be in a world so full of possibilities.
review 2: How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman KrznaricDisclaimer: This review includes summaries of conclusions and advice which are presented in greater depth and detail in the book itself. Today’s workers want more than an opportunity to earn a decent wage. They want work that’s personally fulfilling. In years gone by, landing work of any kind was a major challenge due to barriers of gender, race, culture, educational access and exploitation by job creators. Parts of the world have made some improvements in all of these areas. It’s not that finding fulfilling work is easy now, but it’s fair to say that it’s easier than it once was.Krznaric categorizes the elements of work that make it meaningful into two types: extrinsic and intrinsic. The extrinsic are the means to an end: the salary and status (authority) of your position (title). The intrinsic are: feeling your work matters, that it makes a difference; doing something you enjoy, following your passions; and using your natural talents or abilities. Happiness or fulfillment isn’t a formula, it’s more like a balancing act, with the goal of finding work that offers the most appealing balance of the factors involved. And to complicate matters, they change. What’s a good balance at twenty, is very likely different at forty, or sixty.Another consideration is specialization. When you find something you truly love, are you be better off honing in on it, or maintaining a more generalist approach to keep future options open? Krznaric classifies it as pursuit of high-achievement (specialist) or a wide-achievement (generalist).If, as the research Krznaric cites, half of Americans find their jobs unfulfilling, why don’t more people move on? Because the adage about the devil you know, is laced in truth. As a conglomerate, we’re risk averse. Research shows we hate losing twice as much as we love winning. So the risk of switching jobs gives us serious pause. Traditionally, standardized tests such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), advise us to analyze our personalities to narrow our choices, then train to prepare ourselves and to pursue a certain career. This approach is to reflect, then act. But Krznaric maintains there’s no research that correlates MBTI results with job satisfaction, despite its wide-spread use. He does however, offer three exercises to help create a list of potential jobs worthy of further investigation. His exercises are based on a combination of your own past experiences; and your passions, talents and core values. That’s the extent of the value of the “reflect, then act” approach.Next, Krznaric suggests a far better approach is to act, then reflect. Take your list of potential jobs, and use one of three methods to learn more about each occupation. Krznaric gives these techniques his own labels, but I’ll paraphrase them with their more common versions: job shadowing, moonlighting and fact finding interviews. Each technique has its own strengths. For example, if you think you’d like teaching, you can keep your current job and moonlight (act) by teaching a session or course through an organization. Afterward, reflect on the experience to decide if it was fulfilling. Yet another element of job satisfaction is called flow. A term Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined, and wrote about in his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. “A flow experience is one in which we are completely and unselfconsciously absorbed in . . .” Like an athlete “in the zone.”The final ingredient of fulfillment is freedom. If you often feel overburdened by your job; arriving earlier, leaving later than you’d like; answering emails from home, late into the evening; you may feel more wage-slave than autonomous.Besides risk aversion, there is often another factor standing between us and fulfillment: a puritan work ethic. Many of us feel a powerful sense of guilt if we’re not working longer and harder than those around us.So where is the balance? Krznaric suggests it resides within us. In other words, we have to find our own balance. This might mean you can have it all, but not all at once. Once people achieve a minimum threshold of financial independence, there’s little change in their degree of happiness, as their income rises. That’s because their standard of living adjusts to align with their income. So if the wage-driven existence isn’t producing a happier, more fulfilling result, Krznaric suggests we may want to reset the balance. Strive less for wages, adjust your standard of living accordingly, and enjoy work/life more. The final chapter reframes the job search. Instead of looking for the perfect job offered by an employer, consider growing a vocation of your own. The idea is that a vocation often emerges from your life. According to Csikszentmihalyi, what people require “is a goal that, like a magnetic field, attracts their psychic energy, a goal upon which all lesser goals depend.” A calling, a mission, a concrete assignment. “How? Simply by devoting ourselves to work that gives us deep fulfillment through meaning, flow and freedom. . . . Over time, a tangible and inspiring goal may quietly germinate, grow larger, and eventually flower into life.”Krznaric’s final advice is not to allow risk aversion, a puritan work ethic or something else, to curtail your desire for change. Take action now. Make finding a fulfilling work/life your goal. Whether you pursue it through job shadowing, moonlighting, fact finding interviews, or simply take the plunge and try a series of somethings new—seize the day.The book is a worthwhile read, and I think if one follows its recommendations they will see some benefit. But also I think luck is part of the equation. And return-on-effort is another factor suggested, but never thoroughly addressed. The book’s title is compelling, chosen to sell it. The use of the word “fulfillment” reads as if it’s a destination the book will show you how to reach. But what it delivers is a definition of fulfillment as a journey, with tips intended to make yours better. less

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