Founder at Elivate and Part-Time Million Dollar Business.
What thoughts or experiences fill you with complete joy? Maybe it’s your family or those once-in-a-lifetime moments you never want to forget. I get it. Joy is that level of inner bliss that surpasses happiness, so it typically takes something near to your heart to spark the flame of intense elation.
Or, does it? What if it’s possible to find joy in the smallest, otherwise insignificant parts of your day, even — especially — at work?
I would argue (and science will back me) that joy is not only lingering within the Excel sheets and meetings calendar, but it’s also absolutely necessary that you find it to experience the highest level of entrepreneurial success.
What Is Joy At Work?
Business owners spend a lot of time forecasting success and downturns. What entrepreneurs often miss is creating and absorbing the joy in the work.
Before you can create or appreciate joy in business, you must have a good understanding of what it is. Joy, in its most pure state, is an internal overwhelm of bliss and peace. Comparatively, happiness is curated by external forces.
For example, when your new product line generates twice the revenue you predict, you’re very happy. Your happiness in this situation hinges on an external event: product sales.
Conversely, joy is the internal contentment that comes from creating the new product line. It’s a direct result of being immersed in creativity and expressing your passion.
Finding and maintaining joy in your work requires three ingredients. There must be clarity, contribution and commendation.
Research from Kearney reveals that those who report feeling more joy at work strongly agree with statements that fall within these three categories. The survey was completed by more than 500 employees of varying ages across different industries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Clarity
Joy at work is found in having complete clarity around your role and how it fits into the entire team. Research suggests it’s just as important to know your specific skills as it is to understand the role of others.
Seventy-four percent of the Kearney survey participants who reported feeling joy at work strongly agree that they “understand my role and the role of others on the team.” Nearly just as many (72%) strongly agree “there are strong bonds within the team.”
When you are able to hone in on your skill and avoid becoming the jack-of-all-trades business owner, you’re more likely to experience a higher level of joy. That may mean you need to hire someone to take tasks off your to-do list, delegate more effectively, or set boundaries around when and why your team can reach you.
Contribution
The second element of workplace joy is knowing your contribution is critical to the business’ success. Of the participants who reported feeling joy at work, 74% strongly agreed to each of the following statements:
- Feels that their talents are being utilized effectively within the team
- Believes their role is crucial to the success of the team
- Knows how their role contributes to business success
Knowing you contribute to your business or team on a daily basis is a good foundation for joy. To make it a long-lasting feeling, tap into seeing your overarching purpose within the company.
Commendation
Lastly, joy in your business is found in being commended for your hard work. But know that commendation looks different for everyone.
You may find that positive client feedback is the praise you need to fuel your passion and work in joy. For others, recognition from a teammate or business partner contributes to filling their joy tank.
One of the most important takeaways from the Kearney survey is that three-fourths of all participants agree that celebrating shared success is directly connected to feeling joy at work. Remember, it’s equally important to recognize your team’s work as it is your own.
A Direct Line To Success
When you prioritize joy in your work, you’re more fulfilled. And the same goes for your team. Your most valuable asset is your human potential, so create an environment and habits that allow your team to build joy around their daily contributions.
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