How To Craft A Meaningful Career

Jackie Brown, Founder, Shifting Success

“People helping people” is a noble cause and is often mentioned as the “why” when talking with someone who loves working in the credit union industry. Many credit union professionals love holding the banner high, touting service to others over profit. They build meaningful careers within the industry, often staying at one credit union their entire career.

Yet for many other credit union professionals, “The Movement” doesn’t quite mesh. It’s not inspiring, and it doesn’t move them. I’ve experienced both sides firsthand. The difference is night and day. 

When I first started working at a credit union, The Movement was indeed inspiring. I really enjoyed how the organization integrated the philosophy into daily activities. I felt we were all working together to improve the members’ financial situations. Yet, as years went by, I became more and more disenchanted. Tension started to build. I found myself dreading work - the bad days outnumbered the good. There were changes in leadership, changes in me. I realized I was no longer inspired by The Movement, my work or my workplace. My career no longer felt meaningful.  

That disenchantment is what it looks and feels like when our values get out of whack. There’s a disconnect between what’s important to us and what we’re being asked to do. This is the core of most work and career dissatisfaction. It’s why some credit union people get really jazzed about The Movement and some don’t. Those who love it are those whose values reflect the larger philosophy of “people helping people” AND the way their credit union integrates that philosophy into its culture and daily activities. Those who are feeling dissatisfied at work, even at a credit union with such a special purpose, are those who have very different values.

Contrary to what some big-name consultants tell us, working for an organization with a noble mission is not enough to provide the purpose and meaning so many professionals are seeking. Just ask those disenfranchised credit union staffers. They all work for an organization with a very noble cause, indeed, yet how many of them are burned out, bored or bitter?

There are plenty of employee engagement consultants and methods available to address this issue from an organizational standpoint, but true transformation comes from the employee side. An organization can only do so much. How can an individual – how can you – find purpose and meaning in your work? What does it take for you to craft a meaningful career?

What is a meaningful career and why is it important?

Before we can get into the how, we first need to look at the what and why.

What makes up a meaningful career will absolutely vary from person to person. That’s the whole point really. What brings you fulfillment is different than your cube neighbor. Yet as different as each definition is, there are some guidelines to help us define our own version. To get clearer on your definition of a meaningful career, think about the following questions:

●     What activities – what work – do I find inherently rewarding?

○     Look for activities that bring you energy instead of draining it. Review a few days at work, taking note of when you felt like time just disappeared. What were you doing? What type of people were you working with? Another approach is to think about the tasks you look forward to getting back to when you’re stuck in a boring meeting.

●     What are my core values? Does my work and workplace line up with those?

○     Think about how you make important decisions, especially outside of work. For instance, those who value security and stability will make different decisions than those who put freedom and flexibility at the top of their values list. It’s helpful to remember there’s not a right or wrong value – it’s simply a matter of selecting which values are most important to you.

●     What’s my contribution to others?

○     This is where meaning gets motivating - when our efforts are tied to a greater good. For some, their contribution to others is the difference they can make to their immediate family. Others find it motivating to make a difference one person at a time as they work, play or worship with others in their community. Some people enjoy a much larger “greater good” as they contribute to ending childhood hunger, saving endangered animals or extending the mission of credit unions.

Notice I included nothing about promotions, salary increases or winning awards. Those achievements might feel good for a moment or two, but then we’re often left feeling even more frustrated. There’s still a yearning inside – maybe happiness will be found in the next goal? Maybe getting to the C-Suite will make me feel like I’ve made it? The chase for external achievements does not make up a meaningful career. And study after study bears this out – the people who feel happy and more deeply satisfied are those who go from society’s markers of success to their own. That’s why it’s so important to craft a meaningful career.

How can we craft a meaningful career?

Getting started

The first step is getting deep and clear with your answers to the questions above. Not quick off-the-cuff answers. Look for the answers that ring true for you and you alone. What I often see in my coaching clients is the tendency to provide answers we’re expected to give – or we’ve been trained to give by our parents or culture. The deeper, more personal you can get with your answers, the more meaningful your career will be.

Need a way to get started? Use these tools to get a baseline:

         CliftonStrengths Assessment

         VIA Character Survey

         My formula for what your contribution to others might be (AKA your purpose)

Tools can help get the train moving, but to really get some meaningful momentum going, find a way to see your full self. It’s hard to read our own label from inside the jar. Get yourself a mentor or coach who can provide a broader view, a more objective reflection, and say, “This is what I see and hear from you. Is this the person you want to be?” Businesses use consultants to provide an outside perspective. Think of your coach as your own personal consultant.

Taking action

As you start to understand your deeper values and motivations, start exploring ways to shift your everyday work and workplace. Tiny shifts in the direction of your values and motivations can make a big difference. We start to see how much of our daily enjoyment is impacted by our own decisions.

Sometimes the tiny shifts are enough to make a big difference. One of my clients was able to feel more confident and happier with some small shifts in her own daily activities. Once we identified what type of work sparked her energy, she sought out ways to do more of it. She asked to help with projects outside of her usual work that she didn’t find meaningful anymore. She spent time networking with people who were in the department she had her eye on. She was then able to validate and/or adjust her working list of values, as well as the activities she thought she might want to do more of. Her experiments gave her real-life information for future decisions while building her confidence.

Sometimes the shifts need to be larger. For me, the disconnect between my values and my credit union employer was too deep. My values weren’t able to be expressed enough for me to find meaning and fulfillment at that workplace. I explored working at a tiny company, then ultimately started my own business. Each experiment has helped me refine my values and how best to express them.

I see now what a big difference values alignment can make in how our careers can bring us meaning and fulfillment. I see it in my own career path and in my clients as well. For our careers to be meaningful, we must be able to work in harmony with our values.

Yes, “people helping people” is a noble cause. It may not be your cause, your banner to hold high. That’s OK. Work your values. In doing so, you’ll craft a career that’s meaningful to you.