Sital's Blog

I read several career and business related blogs on a daily basis. Partly to support my own development, partly to keep me up to date with new ideas and partly because I enjoy it.   

One of my favourite career related blogs is Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist.  

I enjoy it because it combines excellent, well researched content with a very personalised writing style – it’s chatty, witty and draws career lessons from Penelope’s own life experiences.   

On that point, I’d like to point out an excellent post I’ve just read today on her blog on the subject of How To Find Meaningful Work. It reminded me of the similarities between building meaningful careers and comedy improvisation (really!) and prompted me to leave some comments on her blog under this post.   

Having written the comments, I thought “Hey, have I just got a post for my own blog here?!?”                                               
  
So here are my comments below on the similarities between the rules of comedy improvisation (or ‘improv’) and how to find meaningful work:  

1. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity (there’s no such thing)

In improv, you’re encouraged to “go with the first idea or comment” that comes to you instead of waiting around for the ‘right’ comment or the ‘perfect’ moment (there’s no such thing).

With your career, the best way to find meaningful work is to go and do something – anything. Then reflecting and readjusting as you go along. Sitting around soul searching about meaningful work or waiting for your perfect job denies you the opportunity to grow,  make excellent mistakes, learn new things and meet new people. It also denies others the opportunity to benefit from your talents which, as Penelope points out in the article, is the key to finding meaningful.

2. Help others

In improv, your job is to be totally focussed on “giving your partner on stage a good time.” If you do that, they’ll enjoy it, you’ll enjoy it and the audience will love it.

In your career, helping others based on your unique talents is the fundamental part doing meaningful work. 

3. Focus on contribution

When entering the stage half way through an improv scene, forget your own agenda (and your ego) and instead focus on ‘adding to’ and contributing to what’s already going on.

In your career, adding to what’s already there is more constructive and makes a bigger difference to your employers and the people around you. Which in turn makes the job more meaningful for you.

Taking these actions on stage is a little scary, but it’s also very exciting and a lot of fun.

I think the same applies to your career. Taking this approach to finding meaningful work is a little scary, but approached with the right attitude, can be exciting, fulfilling and a lot of fun.