Microwins

CHAPTER 8Work

What do you think of when you read the word work? I bet that most of you immediately think of the thing that pays your mortgage. Your mind goes to W2s or 1099s. This makes sense. After the Industrial Revolution, society transitioned from home-based work to factory-based employment. Homesteaders slowly morphed into employees.

I’m going to challenge you. As we think about work in the context of macrowins, let’s expand the world of possibilities. Perhaps your W-2 gives you joy. If so, then count yourself among the lucky. Far too many Americans report being dissatisfied with their job. I’m always reminded, however, that this is not the case for everyone. I’ve been pulled to the side a countless number of times after keynotes by people who have told me how much they love what they do and how much they yearn to get better at it. That’s a special thing. It is a rare instance when a person’s livelihood lights them up.

If you’re in this category of people who want to get better at your work because it lights you up, then isolate your deficiencies. Combine the feedback from your managers with deliberate self-awareness. What are the areas where you need to improve? What is the one skill in your current job that if you were to make significant improvement would alter the trajectory of your career?

Or consider an approach put forward by Daniel Shapiro, COO of LinkedIn. I had the chance to listen to Dan address the top 50 salespeople at the company. He asked a question that ...