October 11, 2024
It is often said that many people in Japan dislike their companies or find their jobs uninteresting. On trains in Japan, I see lots of people looking down, seemingly all worn out. But if you hate the job you do every day, that means you’ll wind up wasting over half of your life. On the other hand, there are those who are enthusiastic about their work. If people could proactively enjoy their jobs, wouldn’t that make their lives fulfilling? So, at a recent Beer Bash event, I asked our staff members to describe the times that they found enjoyment in their work.
Working with excellent colleagues： Many of our staff members indicated that their colleagues are helpful when there’s something that they don’t understand or when problems arise. My personal observations also suggest that our employees are aware and supportive of each other. I often talk about how we shouldn’t seek to advance at others’ expense, but rather assist those around us to grow by helping to pull them up. And this is indeed what I see happening. Also, I often notice people who received support expressing gratitude to their colleagues or supervisors who helped them. When you feel like you can rely on the people around you, it makes you feel good that you’re working together.
Having the chance to attempt something different： Quite a few of our employees said that they are more motivated when they can try something in a new area that they haven’t done before. As people gain seniority, they are gradually tasked with more difficult assignments, and occasionally they are asked to try their hand at something new. It’s great when those transitions go well, but it can also be depressing to experience failure. At those times, rather than blaming the person who failed, it’s important to have an environment where people always support each other when needed. When that type of space is cultivated, people can confidently move forward, knowing they can trust their colleagues to be there for them.
Successfully solving problems： It's very common in an accounting firm to have clients come in to consult about major, complex issues that they can’t solve on their own. Such problems may require many hours of research and take days or weeks to get to the bottom of. But the tougher the job, the greater the feeling of accomplishment when it’s finally finished. There are also simpler situations involving things that have always been done a certain way, where a flash of insight allows a better or more efficient approach. Surprisingly, perhaps, the accumulation of these kinds of small discoveries gradually but effectively adds to one’s own capabilities. Those times when people find that they can do things they couldn’t before, or when they can do things in a way that is better somehow; that is when the realization comes that progress has actually been made.
Drilling down on simple tasks： Another aspect of work tends to involve simple, repetitive tasks. It can be refreshing to quickly get through something like that with an unbroken burst of concentration. Still, it’s not always possible to maintain one’s concentration; sometimes, you can’t avoid dawdling. One way I deal with this is to set a goal for myself to finish in the shortest possible time. When I have that minimum time constraint where I must get the thing done, I don’t do other things like checking my email, which allows me to focus and work through it. And setting a time goal for myself provides a sense of challenge. My day typically consists of a series of detailed tasks, so my calendar is filled in with plans for the day. For people who aren’t good at multi-tasking, a good strategy can be to schedule things with serial-tasking in mind (doing things in a continuum instead of trying to do them simultaneously).
Coming to understand the significance of the work： People feel happy when they feel a sense of self-development through their work. However, they come to an understanding of the true significance of that work when they realize how their tasks are useful to their clients and customers, and to the organization that they are part of. Every company has lots of plain, repetitive tasks in bookkeeping, HR, general affairs, etc., and it can be hard to have a strong sense of how that work is actually helping other people. When I was younger, I didn’t really understand the significance of the work I was doing. That’s why I am going out of my way now to let our staff know the real impact of their jobs. As a result, our employees have gradually acquired a natural understanding of that significance, and they’ve come to share that with me. If people grasp the positive impact of their work and talk about it, then that atmosphere probably indicates that the workplace is cheerful and enjoyable.
The feeling of having contributed to a project’s success： In many cases, people are not working alone, but instead serving alongside other team members. Naturally, you feel happy when your own work is going well, but it is all the more exciting to be contributing to the success of an entire project and sharing that sense of joy with your coworkers. In addition to each person performing their own job well, they support their team members so that their jobs also go well. Those who are helped are grateful, resulting in an important sense of mutual aid.
Feeling that the company itself is growing： Even if the project that someone is heading is successful, staff members will tend to be nervous if the company as a whole is not growing. Meanwhile, when your own personal growth is helping your project to succeed, and you realize that your project is ultimately helping to propel the growth of the organization, there’s almost nothing more enjoyable than that. The resulting synergy will make the workplace itself interesting and fun to be part of. In a company full of employees with that mindset, the employees will act with a sense of ownership. That will, in turn, strengthen the managerial foundation, eventually improving the organization itself.
Almost all of this comes from what our employees shared with me, and I was very pleased to have reached the point where we can talk about these kinds of things. It was a really fun Beer Bash.
But in the context of the enjoyment of work, the most important thing is this: that the leaders themselves genuinely enjoy their work. No matter how much the staff may feel a sense of satisfaction or significance, if the leader appears bored or unengaged, that negative attitude will gradually spread, and the staff will lose their feeling of enjoyment. For the company as a whole, this centers on the CEO; for a particular section, the section chief; for a project, the project manager. Accordingly, regardless of the circumstances, the leader must always appear to enjoy the work. Things will not always go perfectly, of course, and there will doubtless be depressing days. Even after a terrible day, however, the person at the top needs to show up the next morning with a smile, greeting everyone cheerfully, and get on with the tasks with energy. If you want to create a workplace where employees enjoy their jobs and approach their work enthusiastically, then you, as the leader, must do this without fail.
People often say to me, “Mr. Takano, of the all accounting firm partners we know, you are the only one that appear to enjoy the work.” This reminds me how challenging and stressful being an accounting firm partner is. However, I’m constantly thinking about how to encourage the growth and development of our employees, what we can contribute to our clients, and how we as a company can keep growing. And as I do that and go about my work, I imagine the future and how wonderful it will be when everyone has grown and improved. No matter how difficult things may be, the thought of that future gives me the courage to overcome, and that is how we’ve gotten to where we are now.
The company is determined by the CEO. A project is determined by the project manager. The extent to which a project is enjoyable and successful will depend on the extent to which the manager enjoys their work. No matter how challenging the work may be, the leader’s role and mentality should be that of believing in colleagues and staff, and leading them onward to success and a brighter future.
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