I meet a lot of people working in the industry and corporate offices, who are dissatisfied with their careers. Many a time the people are working with the top end companies and multinationals but the job contentment is just not there. A few months ago I had come across a gentleman who had already spent 26 good years in the industry and was handling the GM position. After reading one of the articles on the website he wrote to me that he was kind of lost with regards to satisfaction from his job.

All along, I have been thinking about what separates a satisfied career enthusiast from a demoralised and dissatisfied job doer. I decided to delve deeper into the daily lives of the two distinct individuals. What came out of this exercise was the mantra for job satisfaction. Let us understand it better.

In daily life, we like to be appreciated for the work we do. Nobody praises you for the daily mill of the grind jobs. Then what is it that generates the maximum attention and appreciation. When we see something different happening we notice it and if we like it we shower our praises on the architect. The mantra for the job satisfaction is nothing else but doing things differently.

Let us see how we can follow the mantra and do things in a different manner

Improvise: The same music when mixed by the DJ sounds great. The remix of the old songs fetches a larger audience as compared to the original song. The online photographs that converse with you are liked well as compared to the plain displays. The same holds true on the career front also. The more you improvise, the better it becomes. Standing meetings are more productive than the sitting ones. Facilitating the subordinate with the work rather than ordering it can make a difference in the result. Except for the items requiring statutory compliance and Quality standards, you can try improvisations on the way things are going on.

Add value: When you add value to any activity it generates a different kind of response. The results are different and noticeable. You are also likely to be appreciated by your superiors for the value addition. Finding a solution to the problem that is resulting in daily loss of production or taking up a marketing project when you are a hard-core production person are all examples of value added activities.

Creativity: This is an inherent trait and few people have it from a very young age. However, God has given us a brain to think and generate ideas. You may not be creative in one area but it may turn out that you are exceptionally good in another area. Companies hold workshops and training programs to bring out the creativity in the people. Disruptive technologies are nothing else but creative ideas that are changing the face of the industry.

Follow the mantra of doing things differently by adopting the techniques given in this article. Making the start is the toughest part and once you begin the process you will start feeling more energetic and satisfied with the job that you are in.