Be Part of a Pack
“He who cannot howl will not find his pack” — Charles Simic
Why be part of a pack?
Everywhere we go, at the basic core of our being, all we really want is to “fit in” — to feel like we belong (assuming that food and shelter needs have been met). But what does that translate to on a professional level? What does it mean to be #squadgoals or #crewlove with your co-workers? Are you part of your company’s pack? Do you howl with the rest?
A study in 2012 found that 67% of the people surveyed stay with the company because they like the work they do. 58% stay because they’re connected to the organization and 54% because they connect with their co-workers (aka their pack). Another study showed that employees who fit well with their company and workers had greater job satisfaction, and showed superior job performance!
I recently had a conversation with Tony Luckett @ Leap.ai (Who also graduated Mechanical Engineering) about the feeling of being part of a pack where we’re able to connect on similarities, shared beliefs, and values. Funnily enough, we connected based on the initial thought of both of us having graduated Mech Eng, and then our conversation spiraled based on our travels, the people we’ve met and the experiences we’ve had.
But I digress, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been in place(s) where my values and beliefs have resonated with most, if not all of the teams. From student clubs and teams at University to my internships and volunteer roles at startups, corporates, schools both within Canada and abroad. But how do you know that you’re in an amazing team where your values resonated on the same frequency with the rest of the team?
Think back to if you’ve ever had a conversation with someone on your team where both of you immediately connected on an idea and then proceeded to implement and see it through from start to finish? THAT.
That one conversation is what makes you part of the pack.
The problem with the current job search is that you’re not looking for your pack
A huge mistake that new graduates and students make while looking for jobs is shooting in the dark (i.e applying everywhere and anywhere) and seeing what sticks, as opposed to focusing on themselves, their strengths and seeing how they align with a company’s strategic goal, vision, and mission. Working for a company is a lot like dating — it’s got to be a right fit for both of you.
The issues with this are two-fold
- You’ve wasted resources (time) recognizing that the company isn’t a right fit for you, and the same goes for the company. You don’t like it. Whereas this is time that could be better spent on developing yourself.
- A job that isn’t the right fit can weigh on you emotionally, mentally and physically. You dread going to work in the morning and wait for the clock to hit 5 to check out.
This isn’t your pack.
So, what do you do?
- Figure out your values, your strengths, and preferences. What’s your sell? What makes you tick? What makes you get up in the morning to solve what problems? There are hundreds, if not thousands of personality and leadership tests out there to help you figure out your values. You don’t need a perfect one. Just one to give you an idea of how you sell yourself. (Myers Briggs, True Colours, Big 5, Strengths Quest, Enneagram wings to name a few)
- Volunteer/Intern/Work in diverse teams. Decide what type of people you want to surround yourself with. What do you need in a teammate, a supervisor or a colleague?
- Find roles & companies that hold the same and replicate. I recently got off the phone with a friend of mine (Mohammed) who through working in multiple roles with multiple teams now knows exactly what he needs in a role for him to be successful. In your interview, ask the company if they have a culture of feedback, if that’s important to you. Maybe being recognized is more important for your work. Or it’s the chance to have autonomy in your role. Better yet, you don’t even need to go looking, just sign up on Leap.ai and we’ll do the matching for you!
I’m grateful to all my pack mates over the past years who have shaped and developed the howl I have today. And if anything, my values and experiences have helped me amplify my howl to find others like me! Howl as if the pack will howl back.
Find your howl; Find your pack
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com on November 20, 2017.
Tabish is currently a Community Coordinator at the University of Waterloo & a part of Leap.ai which helps match up job candidates with companies based on their experience, values, and preferences! Tabish has been a part of over 15 different teams and worked directly with 150+ diverse people across his jobs, internships, volunteer roles and extra-curricular involvements!
Are you looking for tech jobs? Let’s chat about getting you matched up with a company!
