Looking back, I think everything went off the rails in school when teachers banged on so much about potential. You’ve got it. Reach for it. Find people who will hone it. Keep striving for it. Don’t stop...

The funny thing about potential is that it’s like when my kids talk about “tomorrow.” They say wide-eyed: “Mum, it’s never going to come. When you wake up, it’s already today. Mum, it will never EVER happen.” I’m starting wonder if potential is a bit like that. It haunts you. And twenty years into my career, having kicked the shorter-term goals I set early on, I’m looking around feeling completely at a loss as to how or when I’m going to reach that lofty next part of my potential. Who will help me? What should I do? Is there any left?

Personal crisis aside, it turns out that enjoying your job really doesn’t have anything to do with an excellent use of all that “potential.” You don’t even have to wake up feeling all that excited to go to work (a relief for all the night owls who are actually just sleeping with their eyes open until 11am). Nope, research tells us that what matters way more than what we’re doing… are the people (people with a horrible boss are never satisfied), the values of our workplace, and feeling a sense of accomplishment. Hmm, seems pretty straight forward.

The glaringly obvious missing puzzle piece: money. I feel like I think about money a lot. I wonder if I should keep hustling? Finding other ways to make it? Looking for opportunities? Am I making enough to pay for all the things? I recently did get a pay bump (or rather, as my husband was quick to point out, I just began being paid for the 5-days-a-week work I was basically already doing). And it did feel good. But economists have found that the spike in satisfaction that comes with an increase doesn’t last very long, especially if all the other factors are not there. 

One of those factors is recognition for a job well done. This is an interesting one because for many people, the pandemic has meant working in a bubble. And unless you have a manager who is excellent at checking in, it means way less feedback. Of course, having all this autonomy is, for many people I’ve spoken to, pretty satisfying if you’re far enough into your career to know what good looks like. For those less than ten years in looking for guidance, it would suck.

Perhaps one reason so many work places have invested to heavily in People & Culture departments, and spent up on team-building and culture, is that years and years of studies have shown the people who are happiest at work feel their employers' values align with their own. I had to think about this one. On the one hand, I have seen my company get rid of so many people that it seems only the most resistant to burnout can survive. On the other hand, we do work that really does inform, entertain and sometimes even create positive change. And given that a huge marker of job satisfaction is having a role that you feel makes the world a better place, perhaps the latter cancels out the former. Perhaps. 

Finally, as with almost everything I have ever learned about work and life, self-belief matters. Big time. If you believe you’re good at your role, you’ll enjoy it more. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, just by showing up. You’ll have a sense of purpose. You’ll be more committed to your job. And while feedback from your manager and having a great boss at a company that allows you to learn and grow, with values you align with is important, it’s worth nought if you don’t get under the hood and ensure you actually believe in your abilities. Honestly, that’s something we all have the potential to do better.