I've been accused by others of being a workaholic. Need proof? Check out the comments to my past post on the wisdom of using an Out-Of-Office reply, where I was taken to task by those appalled that I dared to work on my blackberry while standing in a 60-minute line at Disney. Trust me, peeps, standing in line at Disney isn't quality time with the nuclear family. It's a taxing whinefest we would all be well advised to ignore through advanced technology.
More important to the question of my work habits, and yours, is the question of engagment. Seth Godin penned a piece a few days ago that I thought was brilliant. The thesis is that being a workaholic isn't defined by hours, but rather by attitude:
"A workaholic lives on fear. It's fear that drives him to show up all the time. The best
defense, apparently, is a good attendance record.
A new class of jobs (and workers) is creating a different sort of worker, though. This is the person who works out of passion and curiosity, not fear.
The passionate worker doesn't show up because she's afraid of getting in trouble, she shows up because it's a hobby that pays. The passionate worker is busy blogging on vacation... because posting that thought and seeing the feedback it generates is actually more fun than sitting on the beach for another hour. The passionate worker tweaks a site design after dinner because, hey, it's a lot more fun than watching TV.
It was hard to imagine someone being passionate about mining coal or scrubbing dishes. But the new face of work, at least for some people, opens up the possibility that work is the thing (much of the time) that you'd most like to do. Designing jobs like that is obviously smart. Finding one is brilliant."
We should all be fortunate enough to be so engaged in our jobs/careers that we actively seek opportunties to learn, regardless of time/location.
This blog is a good example of working with curiosity. Do I have to do it? Nope. Do I want to do it? Absolutely, especially when I get reactions and thoughts from others I can learn from as a result. That's where the power of engagement really comes into play. It makes you want to work on the craft, and go back for more.
I know people who naturally bring that passion to their work. I know another group of people who are rigid about the hours they work. The interesting thing is that few of the individuals who are rigid about their hours are passionate about their work.
Can people who watch the clock be engaged employees? Or is engagement an intrinsic quality that some people have and others don't?
My take? The naturally curious are always more apt to dream and be engaged, regardless of the job. The rest of the crowd better work OT to find a job that matches their strengths, because if not placed in a perfect situation, they'll become clock watchers.
And once that happens, there's little that the employer can do to change engagement levels.
Look inward, clock watchers of America.
