Take your job and love (or at least like) it

By: Ellen Miller
From: The Indianapolis Star – October 2003

Maybe you saw Sunday's story about people hating their jobs. Or maybe it's no news flash for you that work is a grind, the boss is a jerk, and pay raises (what raises?) are paltry.

Sharon Jordan-Evans doesn't want you to settle for a job you hate, or even one you like.

"We think it's important that you love it because you spend so much time at work," says Jordan-Evans, president of an executive coaching business.

Still, the Californian winced when first considering the title of her new book, "Love It, Don't Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work" ($17.95, Berrett-Koehler).

"Is saying 'Love It' just going too far? Will people say, 'You've got to be kidding me? What kind of Pollyanna are you?' " laughs Jordan-Evans, who wrote the book with Beverly Kaye, CEO of a talent management company.

The pair espouse a philosophy I've adopted: We deserve better than a draining, demoralizing experience every day. It's up to us to make it happen; nobody's going to hand us the perfect deal.

Jordan-Evans says too many people quit too quickly, tossing away hard-won equity. But that doesn't mean we should stay put under any circumstances.

"There are three key times when people have to throw in the towel," she says. "One: When something shifts with the organization, the mission changes and the work you love isn't there anymore. Two: When there is a major values disconnect. Three: Geography. If you want to live in Maui and your job's in Anchorage, that's hard to reconcile."

Short of those, she says, every job can be improved.

"If you don't feel passionate about your job, ask: 'What would charge me up again? How much do I control myself, and how much does my boss or somebody else control? Do I need to ask for something?' "

Then comes the hard part: asking.

"This is so scary," she says. "Women especially would rather leave the job than ask for what they want."

But she sees exceptions.

"I know a young woman who is an administrative assistant," Jordan-Evans said. "She liked it pretty well, and it paid well, and she didn't have a whole lot of marketable skills outside that arena. But she was bored silly.

"She started playing around with desktop publishing. She went to her boss and said, 'I heard some chatter about a house newsletter. I would love a crack at that.' He said fine, as long as she got her job done. She did it, and people praised it. She did the next one. After three issues, she got such good response and was having such a ball.

"She went to her boss and negotiated: 'I want to give away 20 percent of my job so I can do the desktop publishing. I will brainstorm with you to find out what that would be,' " Jordan-Evans says. "She told him what was in it for him and the company. Now, he is thrilled and she is happy."

Working parents can feel trapped, believing they can't excel on the job or at home, says Jordan-Evans.