MEANINGFUL WORK
Want to find your work more meaningful? If so, it’s time to craft your career.
Meaningful work has always mattered to me. Right from my very first full-time job, I felt it was important that I was doing something valuable. Something that made a difference, contributed in some way. And - ideally – be working alongside like-minded people. For me, this took me into the UK Civil Service first, including a stint working on the meaning-packed London 2012 Olympics, and then into Higher Education. Now, as a full-time coach and facilitator, a big part of what gives my work purpose is helping others to find more meaningfulness for themselves, too.
As a topic, meaningful work regularly comes up in coaching sessions, as well as team and group sessions. This is brilliant. Finding our work meaningful is hugely beneficial for us: it supports our psychological wellbeing and helps us engage and perform better at work. It’s not a silver bullet, though: there’s a growing body of research (including my own published study), into some of the potential dark sides of finding work deeply meaningful.
CAREER CRAFTING
One thing I’ve noticed through my coaching, is that we can often find a bit of a “meaning deficit” in the mid-part of our career. Perhaps it’s no wonder: working lives are generally getting longer, and so more people are asking challenging questions about whether their work is truly serving them, in emotional, spiritual, and practical terms.
The good news is that mid-career crises like these can become the springboard to finding greater meaningfulness at work, resulting in huge psychological and performance benefits.
I’m currently writing a book entitled “Career Crafting: How to conquer your mid-career crisis and create your most meaningful work life”. In it, I’ll show you how to craft your career by designing, creating, and sustaining a work life that’s deeply satisfying and fulfilling. The book blends real stories, science, and exercises. It’s accessible and hands-on, but always underpinned by robust evidence.
I’m really excited about career crafting because it’s a skill for life; helping you to find and sustain a strong sense of purpose over the long-term. Once you understand your personal sources of meaning at work, you can make changes that boost and amplify those experiences. These might be small day-to-day tweaks, or a complete career change, and everything in between. Importantly, these adjustments are unique to you, and dynamic over time.
The book is due to be published in 2025. Register here to be kept in the loop with (very!) occasional updates.
Plus, in late 2024 I'll be bringing my Career Crafting approach to a small number of 1:1 coaching clients. If you're feeling a bit 'meh' about your work life, this discounted programme will help you find (or re-find) your meaningfulness mojo. Interested? Message me!
Whatever your circumstances or requirements, if any of this has resonated please do get in touch to find out more about how meaningfulness can play a bigger part in your work and career, or those of your team or organisation.
Jess Annison Coaching
United Kingdom
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