Are You in the Right Box?

Let’s assume that you’re with me on the idea that it isn’t all about money; that your primary focus should be on building an engaging career based on the intrinsic elements of the work to be done and the environment in which you’ll be doing it (and provided, of course, that there’s at least enough compensation at play “to take the issue of money off of the table”).

The question, then, is what do you specifically look for in a job? Do you simply look for a position that scores well on the vectors of autonomy, mastery & purpose? The answer, of course, is that it’s not quite that easy.

The concepts of autonomy, mastery and purpose are multi-dimensional.
If someone were to ask you to talk what autonomy means to you you’d probably have some preconceived ideas. For some it might mean having the freedom of choosing where and when to work, and for others it might mean being free to choose what to do, and how, based on goals. Taking some time to consider the various aspects of autonomy can help uncover what’s truly important to you.

We can consider mastery in the same way. Would you rather invest your time doing something that you already do very well? Or are you more interested in the act of learning new things? These are both perfectly valid aspects of mastery (and there are certainly others) but are clearly very different from one another and the distinctions are worth considering.

And, finally, we can take a similar view of purpose. In the extreme, achieving greater purpose might mean pursuing a profession that somehow serves a greater good (e.g. becoming a doctor) but there are many other ways of realizing purpose in your professional field, too. Managing others can be a great way of achieving purpose in your work. And if that’s not in your wheelhouse it could be a simple as finding a position where your opinions matter.

There may be trade-offs.
You also need to know how you would rate these ideals against one another. Are there aspects of one that you’re willing to trade in order to get more of another (for example, trading off a bit of autonomy to gain the greater sense of purpose associated with leading others)?

It goes without saying that the best time to ask these questions of yourself is before you start interviewing for another job.

There may be other needs and values that are more personally relevant to you.
If you’re using these criteria for career development purposes you may end up oversimplifying things. There are a myriad of values that you may hold dear and understanding these will also help you make effective decisions in your professional life.

Despite the above, looking at Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose can provide a terrific framework for assessing your current role and identifying roles you might like to occupy in the future. 

What Really Motivates Us?

In 2010 The RSA published a video on YouTube called The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. Narrated by acclaimed author Dan Pink (and based his book Drive), the video advances a few key (if counterintuitive) concepts – namely that:

1. while financial rewards may serve as an effective incentive for purely mechanical tasks, for tasks requiring creative, conceptual or cognitive thinking financial incentives actually result in lower performance; and
2. if you pay people “enough to take the issue of money off the table” then AUTONOMY (the desire to be self directed); MASTERY (the desire to be better at things) and PURPOSE (the desire to make a difference) are the key factors behind employee engagement, professional satisfaction and performance.

At less than 11 minutes in length, the video doesn’t go into a lot of detail on these points (you should read the book if you’re interested in more details) but it’s still game changing because not only does it provide guidance for team and organisational leaders it also provides a potential starting point from which to reflect on your own career.

The challenge centers on answering the question of how much is enough to “take the issue of money off the table”. It can be useful to come at this a slightly different way. Have a look at the video and ask yourself the following:

1. What were the most engaging jobs you’ve ever had (or seen others have) and why?
2. How did those jobs fit against the broader ideals of Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose?
3. If you could ignore money and pursue a career based entirely on these ideals, what career would you pursue? and
4. How much money would be enough for you to choose to pursue that career instead of the one you have now?

Further Reading