How to find meaning at your job?
What is meaning at work and how does one find it? Why, despite having a great job, might one be feeling miserable? How to identify motivational gaps? An alternative holistic view of motivation.
Hi and welcome to the Corporate Waters weekly newsletter 🙌
I’m Mikhail and I'm excited to share my learnings to help you navigate the complex waters of product management, leadership, and corporate dynamics. Subscribe to unlock the full value.
In today’s paid newsletter:
(Free) What is meaning at work and how to identify it?
(Paid) Motivational flywheel and a holistic view of motivation
(Paid) How to identify your motivational gaps and evaluate your current or future org for motivational fit.
Over the course of the last 15 years, I’ve held many jobs. Cleaned toilets at Holiday Inn, washed dishes at Applebee’s, waited on guests at Cracker Barrel, sold luxury apparel as a consultant, taught students at a university, and held multiple product leadership positions in tech unicorns. The shift from blue to white collar didn't happen overnight; it was a gradual path of experience and learning.
In hindsight, some of the unskilled gigs were more fulfilling than certain highly-paying jobs in tech. I clearly remember the feeling of satisfaction when you remove a dirty apron, close a shift, and hop on a bike to get home. Even though I was just serving tables, it felt like I was acknowledged, brought people something of value, and the feedback loop was momentous. It might seem like a comparison between such workplaces is far-fetched. I'd argue by saying that the fundamental forces behind all types of jobs are the same. The trick is in decoding them correctly.
For a long time, I was relying on folklore notions of external and intrinsic motivation. “Money is a strong incentive, but works short-term”. “You need to truly love what you do in order to sustain at your job”. But that view of motivation is very short-sighted. What if you're paid at the top level, love what you do, but feel miserable at your job? On the contrary, if you're paid pennies, have little affection toward your job (consider it temporary), yet feel rewarded each day? There was definitely a missing link there.
Tinkering around this problem, I decided to figure out what makes us tick. How to find meaning in what you do? What is external motivation and why doesn't it work? What is intrinsic motivation really? Why, despite having a great job, might one be feeling miserable? How to look at motivation holistically? How to tell that a workplace matches your motivational requirements? What are the sure-tell signs you should quit your current job?
Let's dive in.
🤔 What is meaning?
Life Stages
We exist in a context. This context is shaped by the current stage of our lives. A freshman out of university is eager to work on sharpening their skillset. A seasoned manager starting a family might be working towards a bigger paycheck. A cashed-out executive might worry about giving back to the community and the environment. Depending on the stage of life, our core focuses differ.
Mastery
A talented Japanese pianist from Sapporo named Ryo Fukui didn't do a single studio recording for over 17 years from 1977 to 1994. He had a perfectly capable trio and the ability to enter a studio any time he wished. After two acclaimed albums titled “Scenery” (1976) and “Mellow Dream” (1977), there was pressure from his fan base to release a new LP. Yet he didn't and just continued to play at obscure jazz clubs in Sapporo and Nagoya. When, after years of seclusion, a reporter asked him a simple question, “Why?”, Ryo responded, “I felt we were not ready, I just wanted to become a better piano player before doing a record”.
We all go through stages in life when we just want to be “better piano players”. Master hard skills, brush up on our storytelling, learn leadership and team management. Wanting to become better at something can become a source of meaning.
Financial Independence
I've had a few colleagues for whom the monthly cost of living was 1/10th of their monthly income. They had little needs. Just wear the same pair of jeans, buy basic food, pay for utilities, and you're all set. For such folks, finances were never really a problem, because they've always felt independent. For others, money was a constant source of stress. They needed to juggle bills, cover up an upfront payment for a mortgage, or pay for a kid's tuition. Their needs exceeded the money they could earn.
Once the financial demands cannot be covered by the existing income, this creates an internal conflict. A need to resolve that conflict can become a source of meaning. Looking at financial independence as a way to avoid or mitigate that conflict entirely is a perfectly legit meaning for a temporary stage of life.
Giving back
One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's rules of life is giving back. Not surprisingly, he came up with this rule after ending his political career and accumulating extreme wealth. After achieving financial independence and mastery, the next logical stage is about looking outward to other people. This means giving back (money, time, efforts) to the community as a token of gratitude for the privileges that you've gotten in life.
Of course, these are simplified examples. A manager might have two layers of meaning simultaneously (financial independence, mastery) or might never stop polishing a certain skill set, or might focus on achieving mastery in a totally new venture (changing careers).
Your irks and quirks
There is some work I dread doing (routine processes, reporting) and some that I truly enjoy (research, analysis, finding new value or the product-market fit, etc.). Over the years, I've observed similar tendencies in my managers as well. Almost everyone had a distinct personal preference. Some were enjoying problem-solving and tried to avoid any process-related challenges wherever possible. Others found drive in mentoring and helping other people grow, but delegated most of the product challenges to their direct reports.
These are just two random examples. Whatever it is, we all have our irks and quirks. Enjoyable activities that put us in the flow (quirks) versus demanding ones we dread (irks). There's no ideal workplace, and in a good scenario, a typical manager's work would be split between 60% quirks and 40% irks. A tilt towards quirks gives much more meaning and energy to whatever you do. On the contrary, having a job filled with irks will make you feel way more drained.
⚙️ Motivation Flywheel
