EXAMINE YOUR WORK PURPOSE
RIGHT now, the situation is very precarious in Malaysia. This Covid-19 pandemic has led to our economy being on the verge of collapse, and the most important institutions in the country, like our healthcare and education systems, straining to the hilt.
People are dying, suicides and mental health-related trauma are on the rise, and people are raising white flags for the want of food.
The overwhelming majority of us have seen our savings wiped out, jobs teetering on the brink, businesses failing or just about hanging on by the skin of our teeth.
It is vital that at this time, we recalibrate and stand up with purpose in our jobs.
Remember that ultimately, we want results in life. Every aspect of our life is result-oriented. And to survive this pandemic with our careers or businesses still afloat, albeit bruised and battered, we need to get back in touch with our purpose drive.
If you think back, even a visit to a hawker stall is outcome-driven.
If the plate of noodles you buy is not satisfying, you will complain or stop going back there. When you think of buying a new car, you consider the eventual resale value.
After getting married, you expect trust, intimacy and companionship from your spouse. And marriages deteriorate when one or more of this is absent. Literally, everything in life is result-oriented.
So, what is the result that you want from your time at work during this pandemic?
Do you go to work just for money? Does your work define you? Is it for self-satisfaction? Are you there to showcase your skills? Do you want to be relevant?
At present for many, going to work is about survival. But even through this fear and the need to be in employment, I implore you to keep going back to your purpose or intent, or “niat” in Bahasa Malaysia.
If you don’t do this, I am afraid you may wake up one morning and find yourself out of a job and wondering how life had passed you by.
To have the wherewithal to withstand the onslaught of this pandemic, you must reconnect or even explore what your deeper purpose for work is, beyond just survival.
Because as you struggle through the uncertainties of work and your career in these most trying times, it is natural to be overwhelmed by fear and lose sight of first principles and purpose.
You don’t need to know the exact steps for getting to your target in this moment. All you need is an overarching resolve and a deep personal commitment to pursue it.
If you do not have a clear purpose with your job, beyond survival, it’s time to start thinking about it now!
At your workplace, your actions will reflect your purpose. If your purpose is ambiguous or uncertain, it will show in your attitude and work product. We’ve all had personal experiences with colleagues who are like this. They forget to do things, they don’t take some important matters seriously, or their attitude is frivolous, at best.
When someone is branded as having a bad attitude at work, quite often, it’s simply a reflection of their lack of purpose or direction.
Your sense of purpose is shaped by the things you believe in and value. When you have a strong sense of purpose, you develop a personal code of behaviour. And
Do you go to work just for money? Does your work define you? Is it for self-satisfaction? Are you there to showcase your skills? Do you want to be relevant?
your connection to purpose will help you live by these beliefs and values.
In business, the need for purpose is well documented. In 2013, the Deloitte Core Belief and Culture Survey reported that organisations that focus beyond profits and instil a culture of purpose are more likely to find long-term success.
One the books that left a lasting impression on me is Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.
Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, was a Holocaust survivor. The many powerful ideas advocated in his book are centred on his experiences in concentration camps.
He gives examples of how the inmates who survived better were the ones that had a goal or a strong sense of purpose. This was true of Frankl himself, who spent a significant amount of time reconstructing a manuscript of his life’s work during his detention.
A strong sense of purpose has a positive impact in your day-today living in pandemic times.
Waking up and wondering what you are going to do with yourself will be a thing of the past. You will wake up energised because you are engaged in your own life.
Get connected with purpose, and get engaged with your life; you will find that being at work will be more satisfying, even in dark times like now.
You want to remain in employment, post-pandemic? Stand up and get purpose for your work fixed, right away!