What adds-up to job satisfaction? If you find your work lacking for pure satisfaction, check yourself against this list. And see if you can find new areas to re-discover fulfilment at work.

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+44 (0) 7976 751 095 dan@danbeverly.com http://danbeverly.com
9 Ingredients to Greater Career
Satisfaction and Fulfilment 09 February 2017
What adds-up to job satisfaction? If you find your work lacking for pure satisfaction, check
yourself against this list. And see if you can find new areas to re-discover fulfilment at work.
After some basic career hygiene factors like physical
safety, job security, co-worker relationships and salary,
what adds-up to job satisfaction?
It’s an obviously important question to consider. We invest
a significant part of ourselves in our careers. And for that
investment not to deliver our personal definitions of
satisfaction adds up to an unhappy time.
But for all it’s an obvious consideration, job satisfaction is
easily overlooked. And we can go weeks, sometimes
months and years, not noticing how dissatisfied we are in
our work.
If you find yourself lacking in job satisfaction, check your
current role against this list. And notice what positive
changes you could make to get back to work that leaves
you feeling fulfilled.
Challenge and stretch.
 We work at our best when we’re challenged and
stretched. And so it’s important our work delivers
a degree of stretch to exercise our cognitive
capacity, engage our attention and invigorate us
to continuously improve.
 Our brain loves just the right levels of challenge
and stretch. But it’s a delicate neurochemical
balance: to keep us between fatigue and boredom
at one end of the spectrum; and stress and
overwhelm at the other. Consider whether your
work is too much of a stretch – or indeed, is not
providing enough of (the right sort of!) challenge.
Opportunity to
use your full range.
 We are all a blend of skills, abilities, knowledge
and experience. And we rarely feel fulfilled if
we’re not asked to make good use of our full
complement of competencies.
 What value do you bring to the work that just
isn’t being utilised? How could you better make
full use of every competency you bring to the
table?

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+44 (0) 7976 751 095 dan@danbeverly.com http://danbeverly.com
Autonomy and
independence.
 Autonomy – to have ownership over something –
is an incredible important social domain for the
human brain. And lack of autonomy is one of the
quickest ways to demotivate someone in their
work – and leave them disengaged.
 Autonomy is often subtly lost: as in, when a
leader or manager puts in just enough to make it
their idea not yours. Are you bring granted
actual autonomy?
The work itself.
 The actual day-to-day grind. Do you enjoy your
basic work? Does it play to your strengths? Does
it motivate and inspire you? There are going to
be elements that are more of a chore than others.
But in the end, do you like the nature of the role?
And what it takes to get it done?
Contribution and legacy.
 Contribution is a recurrent theme among my
coaching clients. And from personal experience,
that sense of contributing something significant for
another person and/or for the greater good is very
motivating.
 What contribution is your work making in the
world? And what are you building of lasting
value that will leave a legacy once you’ve
moved on?
Learning and growth.
 Human beings have huge capacity for learning.
And one of the great joys of work is in its
opportunities for learning, development and
growth. To continually push the boundaries of
what we know and can do.
 In the course of your work, what new learning
are you required – and inspired – to undertake?
Achieving mastery.
 Finding great satisfaction in your work is not just
about being good at something. It’s about being
good at something that matters.
 Does your work matter to you? And does it
matter to the wider world – in ways that matter
to you?
Aligning with
vision and purpose.
 I sometimes feel too much is made of working in
an area you feel passionate about. Sometimes,
your passion and your career can’t come together
in a meaningful way that works for you. And
that’s ok. It’s ok for your job not to be your
passion. There are other ways to find that
expression.
 But a misalignment – a conflict – with our values
is something else entirely. When our values are at
conflict with the work that we do, everything
becomes a struggle. So know your values. And
ask: which of my values are most expressed at
work? Which do I need to express more? And
which are, perhaps, in conflict?

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+44 (0) 7976 751 095 dan@danbeverly.com http://danbeverly.com
Balance by
intentional design.
 Work/life balance is a misnomer. But we all
know what we mean when we say it. And for
me, there is no prescribed answer to what that
balance should be – other than my wish that
yours be intentional.
 If you want to work all hours – go for it. If you
want to make it a strict 9 – 5 and make
dedicated quality time for the people in your life
– go for it. Everything and anything else in
between – go for it. Just have it be according to
your own intentional design.
Dan Beverly is a leadership and performance coach helping high-calibre, high-
performing professional women embrace the pivotal career moments.
His mission is to inspire possibility in others: to help us excel in careers without
compromise; and to leave us feeling energised and uplifted by a new future.
Go online to book your “Session Zero” with Dan – and start capitalising on
your pivotal career moments today.
http://danbeverly.com/session-zero