Duty or desire…I’m not sure this is the spectrum. And, the more I read about employee engagement the more I wonder about it. Couple that with the complexity of character strength and personal values and the pieces of the puzzle grow.
Do you operate from duty or desire? When you show up at your place of employment is it because you have to, or because you want to? It’s not one or the other, is it? Somedays are in the sweet spot—you’re passionate about what you do and what the day is filled with. Other days are more rote or hum drum or have unpleasant components and those days feel more like duty.
I was the COO of a law firm in San Diego with the job responsibility of cleaning the front stoop each day after the overnight stay of any number of homeless people. It was clearly a job duty, pardon the double entendre, and I had no desire to get there in the morning knowing that’s how my day started.
It wasn’t long until I had an outside service to handle this job. And, that’s part of the equation. What is the balance of your day? How much are you in duty? And, how engaged are you in your organization when operating from duty? I encourage you to consider your values and your role and look for places where your desire drives you. I assure you those days will be more fulfilling!
