Play, purpose and potential

Today is my quarterly “connect meeting” with my boss.

We sit down and discuss how things are going. It is meant to be more than an evaluation of my performance against objectives. The objectives themselves are up for discussion.

More importantly, it is an opportunity for me to reflect on why I go to work, to identify my drivers, and to adjust as necessary. My goals are:

• To remove inertia at all costs. If I don’t know why I’m doing something, I must stop doing it immediately.
• To remove economic and emotional pressures to the extent possible. Am I doing something simply because others expect me to do it or because my bonus is tied to the task? When there is no other purpose, this type of work rarely benefits the organization.
• To maximize my sense of play, purpose and potential. I want to craft a job so exciting that when I go to bed at night I am looking forward to getting up the next morning. A job where I can try things, where failure is considered learning, where I help others and grow in the process.

Come to think of it, these connect meetings are filled with play, purpose and potential.