The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers

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Product Description
In this, his sixth and most anticipated fable, New York Times bestselling leader Patrick Lencioni takes on his most universal and human topic to date: misery at work. In doing so, Lencioni presents a revolutionary yet simple model for building any job more rewarding and fulfilling.

Lencioni tells the unforgettable tale of Brian Bailey, an abruptly retired executive searching for meaning in his career and his life. Through a series of twists and turns, Brian discovers the three universal causes of anguish and frustration at work, and the keys to overcoming them. Whether he’s trying to convince an investment banker that job satisfaction matters, or motivating a pizza manner of language driver to be friendlier to customers, Brian is forced to confront aspects of himself and others, that make job misery a painful reality in so many organizations.

Whether you’re an executive looking to set up a cultural competitive advantage, a manager trying to engage and motivate your people, or an employee searching for fulfillment in your work, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job will provide you with immediate relief–and hope.Amazon.com Review
Patrick Lencioni, renowned business consultant and bestselling leader of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, is on a critical mission: make widespread job satisfaction in a world full of workplace misery. His latest book, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (And Their Employees), tells the inspiring tale a high-flying, but deeply dissatisfied Chief Executive Officer who ditches the power and perks for career bliss as the manager of a pizzeria! In this unusual and inspiring tale, Lencioni convincingly demonstrates how career happiness (or misery) is the direct result of the manager–employee relationship. Patrick Lencioni took the time to tell us about his life-long “obsession” with job misery, shatter some myths about workplace satisfaction and offer some real advice on how to turn that daily grind into daily fulfillment. –Lauren Nemroff

Q: Why did you choose to write this book?

A: As a kid, I watched my dad trudge off to work each day and became to some extent obsessed with the notion of job misery. Somewhere along the line, I came to the frightening realization that people spend so much time at work yet so many of them were unfulfilled and frustrated in their jobs. As I got older, I came to another realization–that job misery was having a devastating impact on individuals, and on society at large. It seemed to me that understanding the cause of the problem, and finding a solution for it, was a worthy focus for my career.

Q: What exactly is a miserable job?

A:A miserable job is not the same as a terrible one. A terrible job lies in the eye of the beholder. One person’s dream job might be another person’s nightmare. But a miserable job is universal. It is one that makes a person cynical and frustrated and demoralized when they go home at night. It drains them of their energy, their enthusiasm and their self-esteem. Miserable jobs can be establish in every industry and at every level. Professional athletes, CEOs and actors can be–and regularly are– as miserable as ditch diggers, janitors and quick food workers.

Q: How prevalent is job misery?

A: Attend any kind of social gathering, anywhere in the country, and talk about work. The tales and anecdotal evidence confirming job misery are overwhelming. Misery spans all income levels, ages and geography. A recent Gallup poll establish that 77% of people despise their jobs. Gallup also contends that this ailing workforce is costing employers more than $350 billion dollars in lost productivity.

Q: What is the root cause of job misery?

A: The primary source of job misery and the potential cure for that misery resides in the hands of one individual–the direct manager. There are countless studies confirming this statement, including both Gallup and The Blanchard Companies. Both organizations have establish that an employee’s relationship with their direct manager is the most vital determinant to employee satisfaction (over pay, benefits, perks, work-life balance etc).

Even employees who are well paid, do appealing work and have fantastic autonomy, cannot feel fulfilled in a job if their managers are not providing them with what they need on a daily or weekly basis.

Q: What are the three signs?

The first is anonymity, which is the feeling that employees get when they realize that their manager has small interest in them a human being and that they know small about their lives, their aspirations and their interests.

The second sign is irrelevance, which takes root when employees cannot see how their job makes a difference in the lives of others. Every employee needs to know that the work they do impacts a name’s life–a customer, a co-worker, even a superintendent–in one way or another.

The third sign is something I call “immeasurement,” which is the inability of employees to assess for themselves their contribution or success. Employees who have no means of measuring how well they are doing on a agreed day or in a agreed week, must rely on the subjective opinions of others, usually their managers’, to gauge their progress or contribution.

Q: Why don’t managers do these things?

A: As simple as the three signs are, the fact remains that few managers take a genuine interest in their people, remind them of the impact that their work has on others, and help them set up creative ways to measure and assess their performance.

There are a number of reasons. First, many managers reflect they are too busy. Of course, the real problem is that most of persons managers see themselves primarily as individual contributors who take place to have direct reports. They fail to realize that the most vital part of their jobs is providing their people with what they need to be productive and fulfilled (a.k.a. not miserable) in their jobs.

The second reason that managers don’t provide their employees with the three things they need is that they simply forget what is was like when they were a small lower on the food chain. They somehow forget how vital it was to them when a superintendent took an interest in them, talked to them about why their work really mattered and gave them a means for evaluating their progress.

Finally, many managers don’t do this because they are embarrassed or worried to try. They dread that their employees will see them as being disingenuous or manipulative, or that by taking an interest in their personal lives they will be stepping into inappropriate territory. It’s nearly as though they fail to know the difference between the interview process (no personal questions allowed!) and the actual work experience (treat people like a full human being).

Q: What can a miserable employee do to improve his or her situation?

A: The first thing they can do is assess whether their manager is interested in and capable of addressing the three things that are required. And they have to realize that most managers really do want to improve, in spite of the fact that they may seem unbiased.

The second thing miserable employees need to do is help their managers know what it is they need. If they have a strong relationship with their manager, they can come right out and say it (“You know, it would mean a lot to me if you knew more about who I am and what makes me tick.” or, “Can you sit down and help me know why this work I’m doing makes a difference to a name?”).

Finally, employees would do well for themselves if they turned the tables and ongoing doing for their managers what they want for themselves. For instance, employees who take a greater interest in the life of their managers are bound to infect them with the same kind of human interest. Similarly, employees who take the time to tell their managers (in a non suck-up kind of way) about the impact they have on their job satisfaction, will likely inspire them to respond in kind.

But, if an employee comes to the conclusion that his or her manager is indeed completely unbiased in helping them find fulfillment in their work, it may well be time to start looking for a new job.

Q: Why do so many professional athletes and entertainers seem miserable in their jobs?

A: In spite of the money they make and the attention they receive from fans and the media, many athletes and entertainers experience one or all of the three signs of a miserable job.

Most professional athletes feel anonymous in their jobs because their coaches and managers dedicate small, if any, time or energy getting to know them personally. I’ve had coaches tell me “Hey, these guys are professionals and this is a business. They don’t need anything special from me.” Keep in mind that they are referring to young men in their early twenties who are living on their own for the first time and feel surprisingly alone–even with all the fan attention.

Entertainers are in similar situations, but for them, it is regularly weight that suffers. Many actors cannot reconcile their celebrity and wealth with the fact that they see their work as being to some extent unimportant, in terms of impacting the lives of others. Perhaps that’s why so many of them get involved in charitable causes or politics–it gives them a sense of purpose.