In his latest book Patrick Lencioni defines the three signs of a miserable job as Anonymity, Irrelevance, and Immeasurement.  Although these are core truths he has been able to package his presentation in a fairly accessible and understandable way.  So, I wanted to share with you what he had to say about each of these signs, as follows,

“Anonymity

People can not be fulfilled in their work if they are not known.  All human beings need to be understood and appreciated for their unique qualities by someone in a position of authority.  People who see themselves as invisible, generic, or anonymous can not love their jobs, no matter what they are doing. 

Irrelevance

Everyone needs to know their job matters to someone, Anyone. Without seeing a connection between the work and the satisfaction of another person or group of people, an employee simply will not find lasting fulfillment.  Even the most cynical employees need to know that their work matters to someone, even if it’s just the boss.

Immeasurement

Employees need to be able to gauge their progress and level of contribution for themselves.  They can not be fulfilled in their work if success depends on the opinions or whims of another person, no matter how benevolent that person may be.  Without tangible means of assessing success or failure, motivation eventually deteriorates as people see themselves as unable to control their own fate.” 

Do you have a miserable job story you would like to share, or can we swap it for a fulfilling public service career here in the Desert?