To many folks, this idea sounds too dramatic.  Why be passionate about your job or even your company?  Well, you are investing a significant amount of time each year at work.  Why not throw yourself into what you do?  Why not seek the real purpose behind what it is that you do?

Do you know what you company’s vision/mission statement is?  If you do, write it down below:

My company’s purpose is to…

Why is this idea so important?  Perhaps this can be answered by asking this question:  would you want to work at a job where there was no meaningful purpose to what you produced? 

But I hear you say, “I just work on an assembly line.”  “I only balance a GL.”  “I have to answer the phone and hope to not get yelled at.”  “I cash checks and make deposits.”  “I have to make sure items are stocked on the shelves on time and answer questions from customers.”

What is the real purpose behind your job?  Do you know? 

Years ago, I traveled from Indiana to Orlando, Florida.  I spent the night in Indianapolis at a La Quinta Inn prior to leaving on a very early morning flight.  I was allowed to leave my car at the hotel instead of paying for short-termed parking (a great service).  I was shuttled to the airport and told to call the hotel back when I returned so they could pick me up.

When I returned, I called La Quinta.  I was informed that their shuttle van was broken down.  I was then instructed to take a taxi back to the hotel and they would pay for the fare (they did).  After I loaded my luggage into my car for the drive home, I discovered that my battery was dead (it was winter and very cold out).  I went inside to call AAA.  While I was on hold, the front desk manager asked what had happened.  I told her. 

“Oh, hang up, honey.  We’ll take care of you!”  And they did!  Within 20 minutes the hotel manager (it was his day off) drove to the hotel, jumped-started my car and I was on my way home.  The hotel personnel all treated me as if I was the most important person around.  They did it with smiles and enthusiasm.  I felt as if I had known these folks for years.  They were genuinely nice.  La Quinta’s brand statement is “wake up on the bright side”.  They certainly brightened my day more than once. 

If you work on an assembly line, focus on the product your team is producing and the part you play in this process.  If it is manufacturing a car, you are not just working on an assembly line.  You are creating a quality driving experience for the consumer. 

If you work in a call center, you are serving your customers by listening to their issues and providing solutions that can help them save them time, save them money or fulfill a need.  If you wait tables at a local restaurant, you are actually selling an experience rather than merely getting hot food to patrons on time. The better the experience, the more likelihood the customer will be back and even recommend others to visit your eatery. 

You can personally impact your company’s success!

Being the right person means you will passionately discover and live the true purpose behind your job.

From The Path to Promotion: by Jim Johnson