Asked what job they would take if they could have any, people unleash their imaginations and dream of exotic places, powerful positions or work that involves alcohol and a paycheck at the same time.
None of that appeals to Lori Miller who, as a lead word processor, has to do things that don't seem so dreamy, including proofreading, spell checking and formatting. But she loves it.
"I like and respect nearly all my co-workers, and most of them feel the same way about me,' she says. 'Just a few things would make it a little better,' she says, including a shorter commute and the return of some great people who used to work there. And one more thing: She'd appreciate if everyone would put their dishes in the dishwasher."
It's not a lot to ask for and, it turns out, a surprising number of people dreaming up their dream job don't ask for much. One could attribute it to lack of imagination, setting the bar low or 'anchoring,' the term referring to the place people start and never move far from. One could chalk it up to rationalizing your plight.
But maybe people simply like what they do and aren't, as some management would have you believe, asking for too much -- just the elimination of a small but disproportionately powerful amount of office inanity.
That may be one reason why two-thirds of Americans would take the same job again 'without hesitation' and why 90% of Americans are at least somewhat satisfied with their jobs, according to a Gallup Poll作者: pansy 时间: 2010-7-22 13:43
能带来更高满意度的一般不是金钱,而是“工作作为一种证明某种责任和成就的手段,”加州大学伯克利分校哈斯商学院(Haas School of Business)领导和沟通专业教授巴里"斯托(Barry Staw)说,“薪酬即使重要,也不是因为你能用它来买什么,而是对你工作的一种认可和承认。”
The matters that routinely rank high on a satisfaction scale don't relate to money but 'work as a means for demonstrating some sort of responsibility and achievement,' says Barry Staw, professor of leadership and communication at University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business. 'Pay -- even when it's important, it's not for what you can buy, it's a validation of your work and approval.'
So, money doesn't interest Elizabeth Gray as much as a level playing field. 'I like what I do,' says the city project manager who once witnessed former colleagues award a contractor, paid for work he never completed, with the title of 'Contractor of the Year.'
Thus: 'My dream job would be one free of politics,' she says. 'All advancement would be based on merit. The people who really did the work would be the ones who received the credit.'
Frank Gastner has a similar ideal: 'VP in charge of destroying inane policies.' Over the years, he's had to hassle with the simplest of design flaws that would cost virtually nothing to fix were it not for the bureaucracies that entrenched them. So, the retired manufacturer's representative says he would address product and process problems with the attitude, 'It's not right; let's fix it now without a committee meeting.'
Monique Huston actually has her dream job -- and many tell her it's theirs, too. She's general manager of a pub in Omaha, the Dundee Dell, which boasts 650 single-malt scotches on its menu. She visits bars, country clubs, people's homes and Scotland for whiskey tastings. 'I stumbled on my passion in life,' she says.
Still, some nights she doesn't feel like drinking -- or smiling. 'Your face hurts,' she complains. And when you have your dream job you wonder what in the world you'll do next.
One of the big appeals of a dream job is dreaming about it. Last year, George Reinhart saw an ad for a managing director of the privately owned island of Mustique in the West Indies.
100万美元的薪水和好过波士顿郊区的气候吸引了他。他看了一部关于西印度群岛的纪录片,那里是滚石乐队主唱米克"贾格尔(Mick Jagger)和英国玛格丽特公主(Princess Margaret)这样的人物经常光顾的时髦去处。他重读了赫尔曼"沃克(Herman Wouk)的《不要让狂欢节结束》(Don't Stop the Carnival),这本书写的是一个宣传人员离开在纽约的工作,买下一处小岛饭店的故事。去年四月,他申请了这份工作。
He was lured by the salary ($1 million) and a climate that beat the one enjoyed by his Boston suburb. A documentary he saw about Mustique chronicled the posh playground for the likes of Mick Jagger and Princess Margaret. He reread Herman Wouk's 'Don't Stop the Carnival,' about a publicity agent who leaves his New York job and buys an island hotel. In April of last year, he applied for the job.
He heard nothing. So last May, he wrote another letter: 'I wanted to thank you for providing the impetus for so much thought and fun.' He didn't get the job but, he says, he takes comfort that the job hasn't been filled. 'So, I can still dream,' he adds.
我告诉他,其实那个职位已经有人了。“你告诉我这个很好,这样一来,我可以开始想像那个人最后干砸了。”
I told him the job had been filled by someone -- but only after he said, 'I need to know, because then I can begin to dream of his failure.'
欢迎光临 国际顶尖MBA申请交流平台--TOPWAY MBA (http://forum.topway.org/)