Inspiration in the workplace

Inc. today featured an inspiring article, Why Everyone at My Company Has One Job Title, which included this email excerpt from a now-deceased co-founder of The Nerdery:

"Our job titles are designed to empower us, not to limit us!" Bucklin wrote. "Put your business card on the desk in front of you...This card does not define you. You are a Co-President. You are bigger than your defined role, and you are much more than your job title. Play your part—transcend your job title, be a hero."

Inspiring employees goes one big step beyond motivating them. And inspiration is of course hard to create, especially in an era when "jobs for a lifetime" seems to many people an antiquated prospect, and when even the assurance of job security is shaky at many firms.

Inspiring employees also demands a lot more than rudimentary job security and longevity. It demands some mix of the following:

-Feeling that the job matters

-Knowing that the company cares about you

-Having challenging, meaningful or exciting work to do

-Wanting to do great work

-Looking forward to what is ahead

-Enjoying the ride - not counting the hours until the next weekend or holiday

For some people, inspiration comes easily. For others, it may never come. From our own experience at vSA, a certain "pride of authorship" comes into play. We genuinely love doing things well. To each vSA associate who... created a great website, built a powerful marketing program for a client, got our internal tracking processes in line, wrote a highly original article, solved an onerous technical problem, brought in a good client, or helped a good client make the world a little better... you have inspired me. I hope in some measure you, too, have been inspired.

What a career!

It's the dog days of summer, but there will be no lolling about here.

van Schouwen Associates has a career opportunity available... for the right person. We want a strategic communications professional to join our writing and PR team. WELL, you may say, that should be an easy position to fill.

Nope. In fact, looking for the right person to fill this job opening gives the existing vSA team a new appreciation for what we do every day. And it gives me a new appreciation for the team we have. The job opportunity requires a person who can:

-Face undaunted the task of QUICKLY learning to communicate intelligently about client specialties that may range from geothermal engineering to patented building supplies, aerospace quality management to investment planning for the wealthy.

-Write like Ernest Hemingway about said topics.

-Edit like... oh, I don't know, A.M. Rosenthal?... about said topics.

-For media relations initiatives, pitch to diverse, extremely busy editors, employing a keen understanding of what each editor, each venue and each readership needs right now.

-Switch between topics, disciplines and client needs at a moment's notice. And again. And...

-Genuinely enjoy working with clients who are smart, busy, facing pressures and deadlines of their own, and who trust vSA to create and implement strategic marketing programs that perform... programs that perform extremely well, no matter what the climate.

-Come up with great program ideas and innovations for clients.

-Work social media in B2B, financial services and other wilderness expanses.

-Work with the rest of us.*

Are you the one? Do you know the one? Be in touch...

*We're fun. Naturally.

So you'd like to get a job...

We're hiring. Just one position at present. The process has been interesting.

First off, we haven't had as many applicants as usual, or as expected. We're theorizing that people who have jobs are grateful to have them, and are avoiding the risks of moving on.

Among the applicants we've had, we've had several good ones, some okay and some... perhaps these few stand-out candidates were sent to us from "Hire the Unemployable." We actually received a letter and resume from an applicant who mentioned, right up front, that he figured we were a#@h$les because we are located "in a good zip code" and that he wanted us to know (right up front!) that he would "speak his mind and not put up with any b#$llsh#t." Hey! When can you start??

Others have made it to the interview, only to let us know one or more of the following:

1) they are trying to get an advanced degree in another specialty, to get out of this field because they're tired of it

2) they have a strong interest in moving out of the area soon

3) their previous employers were fools ("The last guy always wanted me to look busy! Are you going to do that?")

A tip for these job hunters: The interviewer is not your pal! Why are you telling her these things?

My sister Jen, who works in the education and job training field, says that, in addition to the many people laid off for purely economic reasons, employers may have used this recession as a way to clean house, thus releasing some loose cannon types into the environment.

Hiring is not for the timid. It never is. But weeding out some of the people you don't want to face every morning is getting easier all the time. I guess it's my turn to be grateful... for that at least.