十萬個為什麼 #101：為什麼工作是沉悶的？

根據從Harvard Business網站看到的一篇文章，it's actually you, not the job, that's boring。詳細原因可參看下文：

If you are finding your job a little boring, you aren't alone. There are many who feel trapped in their current jobs since the economy has removed a few of the seats in the corporate game of musical chairs. But I challenge you to see that it's actually you, not the job, that's boring. First, see if you recognize any of these hard truths:

You're on autopilot.
When bored, our brains shift into autopilot. This isn't a good thing for you or your company. Unfortunately, shifting into autopilot is what our brains do best. Our past experiences create the neural pathways upon which our survival depends. The brain interprets current reality and responds to similar situations using behaviors that have served us well in the past. These shortcuts help us save time, but can also sap our interest.

所以宋文洲社長說做事方法保持三個月都不變的公司是不好的，因為所有人都不懂開飛機。

Your energy level is less than impressive.
When we are bored, our energy level dissipates and we lose the focus and purpose so necessary to excel at the job at hand. Our brains no longer work for us and actually start working against us.

You've become a conformist.
It's not unusual for leaders to start sleeping on the job once they hit year three or four. At this point, they have molded the organization in their own image. They know their people, processes, and technology aren't perfect, but have adjusted to their imperfections and lose sight of the opportunities for improvement. Every day brings the same set of problems and the same responses. From a performance perspective, the sharp "blacks" and "whites" so obvious on Day 1 become indistinguishable shades of gray. "I can't believe what's going on here!" slowly but surely becomes "I can't believe how tired I am!"


So what's the solution?
Wake yourself up by renewing your leadership agenda. Re-engage by mentally firing yourself and spending the next few weeks acting as if you just joined the company. This entails assessing the current situation anew with the help of key stakeholders. Make it a disciplined process.

不過，當被環境同化以後，你便已經失去assessing new的能力。所以我認為只能從一開始便這樣做，並且一直這樣做下去。

This isn't as easy as it sounds. (你知道就好) Although you are bored, you are also extremely busy. Your only choice is to extract yourself from day-to-day operations while you redefine your organization's future. It's time to delegate or defer and make sure that the "First 90 Days" activities take priority in your calendar. Activities such as clarifying strengths and opportunities, confirming the mandate for change, and determining how to better allocate existing resources.

This approach is uncomfortable and definitely not boring. Take heart that your organization can operate just fine (for a while) without you and it's far better to fire yourself mentally today rather than wait for your organization to do so — for real.

Fire yourself physically似乎比較實際。畢竟大部分人身處的組織，都是以“文化”掩飾不足；要求其成員改變而自己卻固步自封的固體垃圾。像Wikipedia Foundation那樣的工作方式，或許是更好的方向。

在我看來，有兩個方法能讓你對工作不感到沉悶。方法一，是不停的轉行和改變職位，但這是高成本的做法，也鍛煉不出專業的技能來。第二個方法，是將別人要你做的事，變成自己要自己做。

“變”的方法，是不讓別人去定義你的工作，而是自己去定義自己的工作。在你的職位裡，你是最了解其運作的人，時刻表達你看到的問題和提出更好的做法，只要有益於事，總會被接納。不改變居住的地方，但偶爾購置新家私、更新布置，也能製造一種廉價的新鮮(母親是這方面的高手)。

由新鮮變成沉悶需要時間，由沉悶變回新鮮，同樣需要過程，不能一步登天。即使做自己最喜愛的工作，也會有沉悶的時候；即使和最喜愛的人一起生活，也總會有想要點新鮮感的時刻。悶與不悶，取決於你的創意。

克服工作中的沉悶，有如克服財政赤字一樣重要。公司賺不到錢，談什麼Mission Statement都是“揾來講”。做生意就是要賺錢；工作就是要從工作中找到可以令你繼續生存下去的元素和動力。

訂閱錄音室