Lisa Earle McLeod* warns against settling for a job and a career that is good enough but not something you can love.
She loved the idea of the job. She loved the idea of the organisation.
However, from day one, she struggled to stay excited.
One day she realised the best part of the job was telling people she had it.
My daughter’s friend had scored an impressive job with a high profile firm, right out of university.
It was high pay with a clear pathway for advancement.
She was elated when she got the initial offer.
She jumped into the training program and, after a few months, her boss told her she was one of their most promising new recruits.
She didn’t hate the job, just didn’t love it – but how could she leave a good job where she was doing so well?
If you’re a high performer, a lot of people will tell you you’re good at something, and you probably are.
That doesn’t mean it’s the best position for you.
You’ll never rise to the top of the wrong profession.
You’ll likely do well, but at a certain point you’ll encounter people who are just as smart and hard working as you are.
If they love the work and you don’t, they will be the ones who rise.
I know this problem all too well – because it happened to me.
I, too, got a dream job and was quickly recognised as having leadership potential.
Yet I also struggled to stay engaged.
For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me.
I was getting praise and even a promotion. Everyone else liked it, so why did it seem so hard for me?
That’s the problem with a good enough job. When there’s no obvious reason to hate it, you keep trying to make it work.
I told my daughter’s friend what I wish someone had told me.
If you don’t love it, leave now because you’ll never be great and, over time, you’ll probably stop being even good.
When I started my good, but not-great-for-me job – bosses said I had a great future ahead.
Yet, as I moved up – and the ranks started to thin, I found it less and less interesting.
Trying to maintain high performance in a job I wasn’t enthused about began to eat away at me.
Over time, I became less of a go-getter and more of a just-trying-to-get-through-the-day person.
Not surprisingly, my advancement slowed.
One day I realised, I’m not the same person. I’m not ambitious or excited anymore.
I was all of 26 years old and thinking wishfully about retirement. Who was this person?
It took me five years to admit that I not only didn’t love my job, I didn’t even like it anymore.
I started looking and eventually found a job I loved. The old me came roaring back.
There were challenges; every job has them, but instead of feeling like I was pushing a rock uphill every day, I relished the challenges.
In hindsight, I can see that the perks of my ‘good enough’ job — high-status organisation, positive feedback from management, good pay — clouded my thinking.
It covered the fact that I was not a good fit for the industry or the position.
I’m glad I left and found a better place. I only wish I’d been honest with myself sooner.
If you’re in a good enough job – be careful. It may be costing you more than you think.
*Lisa Earle McLeod is best known for creating the popular business concept Noble Purpose. She can be contacted at mcleodandmore.com.
This article first appeared on Lisa’s blogsite.
