Excerpt
From Chapter 1:
If you find yourself unhappy or unfulfilled in your work, understand that you are by no means alone. Job satisfaction and employee engagement in the U.S. have been on a steep and steady decline for an entire generation. According to a survey conducted by the business research association The Conference Board in the summer of 2012, more than half of all U.S. workers were estimated to be unhappy in their jobsan all-time low. On a global scale, research by Gallup showed in the same year that 71 percent of the worlds workers are either not engaged in their jobs or have become actively disengaged. This is a global crisis.
Of the thousands of people weve interviewed over the past two decades researching workplace trends, so many have told us they are searching for something more in their careers. Many feel about their work the way this man colorfully described his job: I haul my sorry carcass out of bed every morning and trudge off to a job I dont like, do work I wont get credit for, get yelled at by the boss for things that arent my fault, try my hardest to keep everything afloat, then return home to repeat the process the next day.”
Weve found too many people casting about in confusion for where they fit, what they really want to do, and what would make them more successful and happier. Far too many able, intelligent people know theyre not as productive or motivated as they could be day-to-day, while some are actually de-motivatedwith aspects of their work that are in direct opposition to what drives them. Thats not good for workers, and its not good for their organizations either.
On the flip side, weve found stories that gave us hope. They are people among us who are deeply fulfilled by their work, who are passionate about what they do, and are energized when Monday comes. So whats their secret? In most cases they have taken control of their careers.