Unhappy At Work? 5 Ways to Boost Your Career Success & Happiness
Author: Poppy Griffiths
A dear friend recently gave me a copy of Live Lead Learn: My stories of life and leadership by former Gail Kelly, mother of four and former CEO of Westpac. It’s a fabulous read.
Personally, I’ve always admired Gail’s leadership. Beyond her near decade of successfully leading Westpac - Australia’s first major bank and oldest company, it was Gail’s authentically human approach I respected most. Leading with compassion and empathy first, Gail prioritised the care of people; her team, customers, and always her family number one. She eluded generosity of spirit with a measured and wildly resilient approach - a quality she attributes to the value she placed on building deep human connections with others.
So what can we learn from leaders like Gail Kelly when it comes to supercharging our momentum, performance, and happiness? Spoiler alert - it doesn’t always need to involve a change of job or a fresh employer!
For the most part, when the enthusiasm feels like it’s flatlining, our careers and jobs don’t always require an overhaul. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of reflecting on the unique conditions we need in place in order to show up as our best selves.
When we define what makes us tick, and then allow ourselves to wholeheartedly live this truth, our #performance and #happiness will follow soon after. With these conditions in place, we’re also one big step closer to enabling others around us the same fortune, especially those we have the privilege of leading.
Here are some simple ideas to optimise your career, life, and enjoyment over the year ahead:
Choose positivity.
Work and life are unpredictable, forever changing, and often complex. One thing stands true through all this; if you have a positive attitude to life, you’ll be happier and those around you will be happier too. In reflecting on who brought her life an abundance of positivity, Kelly speaks fondly of her father. Think about the company you keep in work and life. Who brings you an abundance of positivity? Surround yourself with these people. We are, after all, a by-product of the 5 humans we spend the most time with. There is much in our working and personal lives we cannot control, but one thing we can control is the attitude and outlook we choose to adopt. Choose positivity.
Love what you do.
Love what you do. In simple terms, it matters a lot. We only live once, so we need to find meaning in whatever we choose to do. In her book, Kelly reiterates ‘if you love what you do, you will grow in confidence, your skill sets will strengthen and you will deliver.’
If you feel unmotivated in your current role, what new experiences can you create within it? If you feel unsupported by management, then seek out others in your organisation you admire. Observe, connect with and learn from these people. Sometimes it’s a simple shift in our own attitudes that allows us to step up out of the negativity we may feel at work or towards others. Is your remit playing to your strengths? Do you find flow in your tasks every week? Or do you need to prioritise some changes, be aware of your colleagues’ strengths, and together delegate the work that plays to everyone’s talents? Don’t wait for others to make decisions for you. Make a call on what you need, then do it.
Be courageous. Back yourself.
As a senior female leader having traversed the corporate ladder for 15+ years myself, I’ve experienced endless moments of doubt and uncertainty, many daunting moments fearing failure and worrying that I wasn’t good enough. Indeed, ask any senior executive in any company, male or female, and nearly 100% will confess to having felt fear, doubt, and insecurity at times too. In Shery Sandberg’s book Lean In, she poses the question ‘what would you do if you weren’t afraid?’. It’s a question that strikes a chord. Maybe, just maybe, would you just have a go? Kelly speaks of staring hard at her fears and pushing hard to go beyond them. At times, she explains, it was terrifying, but equally, Kelly can’t remember a time where being courageous and backing herself didn’t pay off.
Women particularly, as the research proves time and time again, are harder on themselves in terms of their readiness for a step up in responsibility or role. So next time you’re thinking about making a courageous decision, ask yourself ‘what is the worst thing that could happen?’. Then back yourself and do it.
Generously connect with others. Every. Single. Day.
Human connection is our greatest gift to one another. As leaders in any area of our work and life, we have the privilege of making a difference in other people’s lives. From a personal perspective, how do we live our lives? Are we intolerant of difference, insensitive to the concerns of others, or selfish in pursuit of our own goals to the detriment of all those around us? Are we quick to judge and to dismiss ideas? Or do we bring a kinder, more empathetic leadership and way of engaging with those around us?
Our connections with others need only be small day to day, but they must be genuine. Acknowledging others, recognising their achievements, stopping to say hello, how are you, and importantly, listening deeply to the response. No matter the challenge at hand or workload to get through, it’s the small everyday human connections that lead us to the biggest, most rewarding successes in work and life.
Welcome tough challenges.
Resilience is often described as our ability to bounce back from setbacks. We often talk about this without enough focus on teaching how to build such resilience in the first place. The parachute jumper may be able to jump, but they were taught how to land before they jumped. Stepping into building resilience takes bravery. If we want to step up in our careers, we also need to be brave enough to put our hands up for big responsibilities - a company briefing, a board meeting presentation, an industry keynote. While most of us want to run a mile from stress-inducing or anxiety-provoking situations, exposing ourselves to stressors (with some control and time to recover) is the best way to build our long-term mental fitness. Cold water swimmers are physiologically conditioning their bodies to stress. Their adrenaline levels spike when their body faces the duress of the cold. Over time, when faced with other stress-inducing situations, the body mimics this previously experienced adrenaline spike, and performance is enhanced.
The more we welcome the ‘uncomfortable stress’, the more we adapt and can conceptualise these stressors as challenges rather than threats. As leaders at work, this ‘building resilience’ concept manifests when we risk failure, show vulnerability, or ask for help. Moreover, every time we do this, we're giving others permission to do likewise. This is a fast-tracked way to build enduring human resilience.
Inspired to put these tips to work? Download the Hodie app to get started today, or explore our broader menu of Maxme Products & Programs for organisations and individuals.
Prefer to talk through your options? Simply contact us at any time.
Poppy Griffiths is a professional coach and Director of UnlimitU a high-performance consultancy that supports the inclusion of working parents, women in leadership, and the mental wellbeing of teams.
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