Find the Missing Link

How would you rate your current level of job satisfaction? More importantly, which one area could you focus on to help enhance it? You may be very happy in your current role or content just to be employed in a changing market. On the other hand, you may be miserable and unsure how – or if – the situation can be improved. No matter what your situation, you can benefit from taking a careful approach to identifying the missing link.

The missing link – more questions before you get answers

Identifying the link – why it’s critical in today’s environment

The challenge for administrative professionals

Your challenge: Find the missing link

Tracking progress and rewarding results

The missing link – more questions before you get answers

In addition to asking yourself about your current level of job satisfaction and what you can do to make it better, also consider the following:

· How comfortable and secure am I in my current role?

If you have a solid sense of job security and have mastered all of your job duties, that’s good. But keep in mind that being too comfortable can make it difficult to make changes: You may be less motivated to advance in the other challenge areas – like extending your skills and building your network. And you may be reluctant to find your missing link if it means rocking the boat or stepping outside your comfort zone.

Think specifically about your missing link. What is the single thing that would bring you the most satisfaction in your job? The answer is different for each person, but here are some potential areas to consider:

· Greater scheduling flexibility

· Increased autonomy in making decisions

· Additional collaboration with colleagues at work

· More variety in projects

· Greater recognition from your boss and colleagues

Identifying the link – why it’s critical in today’s environment:

Consider the reasons:

· Uncertainty remains in terms of when the employment market will show significant signs of improvement. It’s taking longer for people to find jobs and make transitions. If you are unhappy in your current role and looking for a new one, take note: it’s not feasible to postpone your job satisfaction until you get a new one. You may be weeks or months away from finding your dream job … and that’s too long to put your professional happiness on hold.

· You are in the best position to identify the missing link and make the necessary changes. While others may assist you in the process, no one else can handle it for you.

The challenge for administrative professionals:

· You are accustomed to accommodating new responsibilities, unexpected requests, more people to support, and so on. With so much fluctuation in your job, it may be difficult to take time to evaluate your level of happiness and how you can make positive changes.

· Many administrative professionals are the central resource for executives, staff, telecommuters, project workers and others. As such, support staff may not have as much scheduling flexibility or opportunities to collaborate. However, it’s not that options don’t exist or that doors are automatically closed. Instead, opportunities may be tougher to find and require more creativity to implement.

Your challenge: Find the missing link

Here are several steps that can help you identify what’s keeping you from greater job satisfaction:

· Consider the current market — Firms continue to watch expenses and resources carefully, but talent and initiative are in demand in any economic environment. Be mindful of budget constraints impacting your department and be open to considering a variety of options to create change.

Target one area — You may think of 100 ways to improve your satisfaction level at work. But be picky: Focusing on too many areas can cause you to lose sight of what’s most important.
Involve your network — Ask people you respect how they’ve managed to turn around a tough situation and find greater satisfaction. You’ll be surprised at what you hear. Don’t limit yourself to one contact — the more people you tap for advice, the more ideas you’ll get. And more ideas you get, the more motivated you’ll become.

Tracking progress and rewarding results

You’ll increase your success in finding the missing link if you set completion dates for the steps above and list the results of your activities. And don’t forget recognition. Think carefully about how you’ll reward yourself when you complete a goal — this can help motivate you.

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