People matter offline

Category: People

Published: 01/28/2009 06:38 p.m.

Another conversation with Meg and another idea. This one is pretty simple; people matter in the real world.

In my current job search, I am trying to find out what I am really looking for. The number one thing that matters to me is the people. I have touched on this before, but I think it needs more explanation.

There are very few jobs that do not involve interacting with others. The number of people you spend your day working with may vary, but for most of us, there are a handful of familiar faces or voices that we see and hear daily. I'd like to go on record and say that those people contribute the most to job satisfaction. A boss or manager can make or break a job. Same goes for coworkers who can be helpful or annoying. These interactions will have you loving work (and making friends) or dreading the alarm-clock every morning.

I know this from experience. CARPOOL was such a wonderful experience because of the people around me. The funny, dedicated, caring souls that put in countless hours made every late night easy. The meetings were fun because the people wanted to be there and wanted to make things better. We worked together on marketing, design work, policy, ethics, and many other issues. But the work wasn't really what kept me coming back. The people were the trick. But I didn't know that when I started there. And therein lies the problem...

You don't get to interview the clients and staff when you are looking for a job. You may not even get to meet the people you could be working with. So, you roll the dice. You pick a job that you think is sounds like good work, but that probably won't be what keeps you. What makes you stay is the people. A good relationship with a client may keep you doing grunt work. But that is ok. That is actually a great thing, because someone has to do grunt work. And, if you are enjoying the company and don't mind, then everyone wins. Good work relationships keep people from going nuts doing mundane tasks. On the contrary, bad work relationships can cause stress to people who may be doing their dream job. I have friends who work for someone that they dislike because they are poor managers. The work suffers. The company suffers. This is bad for business. And this could be a reason why so many young people bounce around.

Maybe we want to be happy at work and are looking for a dream staff, not a dream job. We spend so much time at work that it isn't worth being unhappy all day long. And it certainly isn't worth spoiling a passion by working with people who ruin it. Bad work relationships creates a poor work environment. Bad environment means bad work, which is bad for the company. So while having people leave after 18 months isn't great, it is better to get someone working there who enjoys it. Or, you can fire the bad apples, but that isn't any easier.

The good people are part of the corporate-speak idea of synergy. Good people who work together encourage one another, push each other, and hold themselves accountable. The level of respect is raised and people create better work. Simply putting people who work well together on the same project can produce exponential outcomes. I've seen it happen and I want to be a part of it again.

So, as I go out looking for work, I am really in search of a good team. I have only a few ideas how to find that, so if you have any ideas, please share them.