Enjoying Your Work
Richard Brislin
Success can be achieved
through a series
of small victoriesAfter graduating from Stanford with a degree in computer science, Ann Nelson interviewed at various high tech companies in Silicon Valley and accepted a job at a software development company.
A colleague told her, "I like it here because employees are encouraged to exercise their creativity and to work on self-selected projects. For example, you can work on an independent project, or you can contribute to an ongoing team effort. It'll be up to you."
If Ann accepts the career development strategy known as "small wins," she would choose to join a team effort and to make a contribution to an ongoing project. The reason is that people love a winner, and small wins are enough to contribute to this reputation. If she makes a solid contribution to an ongoing team effort, she has a greater chance of being a winner than if she starts her own independent project from scratch.
The fact that people love a winner can be seen in many activities. Readers might visit a youth sports program in basketball, baseball or soccer about three quarters of the way through a season. If a game is well attended, with many adults on both sides cheering on the youngsters, then the game will involve two teams with winning records. With winning teams, parents attend along with aunts, uncles and family friends. But if there are only a few bedraggled looking adults trying to look enthusiastic, then the two teams will have loosing records. Winning leads to enthusiasm and support in youth sports just as it does in people's career development.
If Ann takes on her own project during her first months at the company, there is a high risk that she will not be successful and may be branded as "a loser." But if she makes a solid contribution to an ongoing project, she is far more likely to be successful. In addition, she will be able to amass various resources that she can use in the future. Working with others allows her to learn about her colleagues' skills. She will have done favors for others which may be returned in the future. She will have had time to learn the company's organizational culture and to learn about the types of projects that receive the most support from administrators.
Too often, ambitious people "bite off more than they can chew" during the early years of their career development. If they are less successful than they hope, they may develop a negative view of themselves. With small wins, they are more likely to make steady progress toward a successful career. With small but steady wins, they will develop a positive image among their colleagues. As a result, colleagues will offer their assistance because everyone loves a winner.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of
human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount
of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and
it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as
people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration,
University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the
College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu