I promise this isn’t a post about Taylor Swift. While I could write several articles about how she’s a role model for every woman in business, it’s the critique of her latest album released on Friday that sparked this topic. Critique #1 “If anyone is even brave enough to critique it” and Critique #2 “Unpopular opinion: it’s not her best album.”
It’s not her best album? Is that what she’s trying to do? Create an album that surpasses all of her prior work? But more to us lowly non-celebrities – is that what we’re trying to do?
I’ve been spending some time lately deconstructing what it means to define your “job”. Is it the series of actions that you take on a daily basis, or the duties outlined in the job description, or is it whatever is needed from you in any moment in time? And once you’ve demonstrated proficiency in that “job”, what then? Are you expected to simply maintain that level of performance? Or are you expected to continually produce better and better work, surpassing your own prior performance? In other words, is your last project you worked on your “best”? And will the next project be your new “best”?
When you think about it, there are some striking parallels between the mundane average person’s work life and arguably the most successful musical artist of our time. No really. Think back to the very beginning of your career. I bet it began with an opportunity – you had no prior experience and someone took a chance on you. You then spent the next ____ amount of years proving to yourself and to others that you deserve to be in that role. At some point, you may have grown discontent and became ready for the next level.
This is the point where I see a major fork in the road – you either get that new job or promotion and then repeat the cycle all over again, or you’re ready for a position that’s more aligned with what you want to be working on. Isn’t that the goal, at least for some of us? To do the work that we find the most valuable use of our time?
Personally, I feel fortunate that any critique of my choices in my career are largely from loved ones that have my best interests at heart, and not random strangers on the internet. The idea of having a stranger contemplate whether my latest career move is the “best” I could have done is just… not pleasant to think about. But it does seem like it’s embarrassing or disloyal to imagine what’s our next move.
I work very deliberately to create a culture in my companies where there can be conversations about what my team members want to be doing, whether that’s within the company and industry, or not. It pains me when someone is scared to tell me her retirement date even though we’ve had multiple conversations about it happening. Or someone is nervous to tell me they’re starting a family. Or they want to go part time so they can have the energy to do more things that they love.
I’m passionate about my job, my career, my industry. I never expect someone who works with me to share that passion. For a lot of people, especially certain generations, work is a means to an end, and I totally get that. The newest generation entering the workforce is asking whether or not the work is worth it, and I get that too. As managers and leaders, I think it’s our job to find out what motivates our team and to align those motivations with the goals of the organization. But more importantly, I think it’s our job to encourage our team members to find the work that they will find to be the most valuable use of their time.
I hate to break it to the critics, but I really don’t think Taylor Swift cares whatsoever about their opinion on her new album. I don’t think I’d like to be in a place in my career where someone would have to be “brave” to critique me, but I definitely don’t want to be stuck in a hamster wheel trying to out-do myself over and over again. I hope that you aren’t trying to produce the “best” work you’ve ever done, every single day you go to work. Rather, I hope you get to a spot where you get to do the work that you love, the work that you find to be the most valuable use of your time. Because that will always be the best work you’ll ever do.
