We all spend too much time at work. Or, that’s what everyone else in the world tells us. My observation has been that we’re spending more and more time working and for lots of people I know they enjoy it less.
You’ve seen the reasons why. The boss is unreasonable. The time pressure is too much. The people I work with don’t seem to care…..I’m sure you could some up with your own list without trying too hard.
Instead of focusing on all the things are wrong at work let’s try something new. Let’s focus on what would make a workplace so incredible that you couldn’t wait to get there in the morning and were always sad when you left.
Do you love who you work with?
You’re going to see the word love a lot in this post. I think it’s a word that just isn’t used enough in the context of a business. We hear the word passion and we hear the word enjoy…..we don’t hear the word love very often.
Let’s start with the people you work with. Are they among the most important people in your life? Would you go way out of your way to do them a favor and make their life easier? If you can’t answer yes, you might want to ask why not?
You spend an awful lot of time with your co-workers. You depend on them to help you become successful in your job. It’s going to be really hard to for you to be successful if you can’t trust and even love those you work with.
If you don’t love your co-workers, it just might be time for you to find a place where you can love those you work with.
Do you love what your firm stands for?
There just aren’t many places you can work where the business actually does what it supposedly stands for. All the companies that we hate to do business with have mission statements. If you were to read those statement you’d find that they stand for really cool things.
The question then comes to play…..why don’t they do what they say? I think the main reason is that it’s just inconvenient or harder in the short run to do the right thing. In fact, in many businesses when you do the right thing you’re reprimanded.
I want you to look in the mirror and ask if this is true at your firm? If it is what can you do to change it today? If the answer is nothing, do yourself a favor and find a place to work that you love. Your mental and physical health will thank you.
Do you love the people you serve?
What about the clients you serve? Does your firm feel it has to serve anyone who walks in the door with the minimum investment amount you require? If so, it’s going to be really hard for you to love everyone you work with.
I’m a big believer that the only way to find happiness in work is to love those you serve. If I don’t respect and love what you stand for I’m just not going to provide my best work for you. If that happens I’m not serving you or your firm very well.
Think about it, you need to learn to love who you work with, what your firm stands for and the people you serve. If you can say yes to love for all three I bet you’re a really happy camper. If not, well ……. I feel a little sorry for you. At the same time there is hope. You can work to change your firm and if that doesn’t work, you can find a place that fits for what you stand for.
Please don’t be a victim. Either accept what you have and change it or find a better place to be. If you’re not lucky enough to be in love with your situation take some personal responsibility and change what you do. You’ll be glad you did.
We have a great Linked In group that focuses on how to create value in an RIA. I’m hoping you enjoy this sort of conversation and would like to join us there.
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