You are not defined by your job title!
Your role at work is an important anchor: It grounds you in your tasks and helps you know how to relate to others and to the organization. But when you bring most of yourself to your role — your experience, training, abilities, knowledge, effort, quirks, and passions — you can start to feel as though you and your job are one and the same. When this happens, it can weaken your judgment and cause you to take criticisms and decisions made at work personally. This is especially true when you are always on and never quite leave work.
Here is the biggest mistake that people start doing when they feel this way:
They start wondering, “Am I at the right company? Am I in the right job? And is this all there is?” Because they felt like the job they had did not define them, and replacing one job with a different one would give them purpose, value and worth. They strive to find a job with a better description and duties, then maybe it could finally show who they are.
Here is the answer — Why you are not defined by your job:
Nobody works 24/7
Your schedule may be quite busy, especially if you’re an entrepreneur, but if you look at the big picture work takes up, on average, one-third of your day. The rest of your time is dedicated to your life. Whether it be with children, sports, cooking classes, or school, the other two-thirds of your day is the rest of your life balance.
Everything changes
Chances are, you won’t be entry level forever. Your work doesn’t define you because it’s bound to change overtime. You will grow into new areas of your company and constantly evolve.
You may lose your job someday, but you’ll still be you
Unfortunately, some companies have to layoff employees due to financial hardships or a re-model of their organizational structure. If you happen to lose your job, you’ll still be who you are. You will still be the same person with the same goals, interests, and passions with or without that job title.
Here is what you can do as a leader to prevent your employees feel this way
No manager, co-founder, or CEO wants to lose their best talent to burnout. However, most don’t know that their employee is burned out until it is too late.
Be realistic when assigning tasks. Delegate an amount of work that is challenging, but not overwhelming.
Follow the passion. Ensure that each member of your team is in the position they feel most passionate about. Create new positions or be willing to move skilled employees to different positions if they feel more passionate about them.
Allow side projects. Allow your employees to spend some time working on a work-related side project that they feel passionate about. Some of Google’s most innovative ideas came from an employee’s side project.
Be hands on. Spend time getting to know each employee on a personal level. Take them out to lunch individually and talk about non-business related topics.
Increase coping skills. Help employees increase their ability to handle and prevent stress. Hire a professional to teach coping skills and relaxation techniques.
So, we already know that nobody is only what their job title says they are, and we know that that’s a good thing. It’s a better time than ever to find and express yourself. Find your way to do it.
