What would it take for you to feel satisfied with your job? Higher compensation? Achieving perfect work life balance? The sense that you’re working toward something meaningful?

A recent Gallup report revealed that, “Americans are unhappier at work than they have been in years. Sixty percent of people reported being emotionally detached at work and 19% say they are miserable.”

But why are we so detached? And what would it take for us to re-engage in our work? Is job satisfaction even possible anymore?

​Psychology professor Dr. Tessa West says that many people are having a crisis of workplace identity, meaning, “they have often been in the same career for a long time, investing a lot of effort, time, and sometimes money—a significant sunk cost.”

She continues, “They have strong social networks, know their field well, and enjoy status, but they begin to experience existential panic, questioning whether they still love the identity they’ve held onto.”

Does that mean when we actually achieve this elusive concept of career satisfaction, it leads to this identity crisis, where we feel routine, stuck in our role and left wondering what’s next? What exactly is the goal when it comes to true career satisfaction?

P.S. If you’re new here, I’m Amy, a corporate speaker, marketing consultant, journalist, leadership coach, and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Setback Cycle. (Want to hire me to speak at your organization? Shoot me a note here.)

Last week, I spoke at Luminary Live alongside several established founders and leaders who have built companies from the ground up. Almost every speaker on that stage mentioned the importance of “knowing your why.” In The Setback Cycle, I refer to this as your “north star.” Clarifying your north star is the number one predictor of daily motivation, and yes, overall job satisfaction, even as you work through the mundanity of everyday tasks.

In a Harvard Business study, 89% of leaders surveyed agreed that a strong sense of collective purpose drives employee satisfaction. Yet only 46% of respondents stated their organization runs in a purpose-driven way.

Sure, it’s easy to clarify your purpose if you’re a founder building out your own strategic vision, but can people working in the corporate world find their north star? Or should we all just go get ourselves a new “dumb job?”

This is something I walk people through in my corporate workshops - identifying not only your personal north star but the one you’re working towards collectively as part of a team. We do simple exercises like writing out our personal mission statements and clarifying our core values, which offer so much more than simple words on a page. Clarifying your mission not only leads to better career satisfaction, it’s also instrumental in creating the foundation for other areas we all struggle with: establishing boundaries, knowing when to say no to projects that aren’t in service of your priorities, and helping create your decision making framework.

To gauge your level of job satisfaction, start with two questions: Do you feel connected to a bigger picture? Can you find meaning in your work right now?

Also consider if any of the below statements resonate with you:

▶️ My team survived a few rounds of layoffs/restructuring and we’re having trouble finding our footing again.

▶️ I’m really struggling to motivate my team.

▶️ My job looks nothing like it used to and I’m trying to figure out where I belong now.

▶️ We’re being held to an unreasonably high standard and not sure if we’ll be able to reach our goals.

If you identify with one or more of the above, you might be disconnected from your north star.

My personal mission has always looked something like: “uplifting the stories of people who have been historically underestimated but are doing the work to solve society’s biggest problems.” And I have always found ways to do that through freelance writing, through the clients I work with, and now through these corporate workshops.

But what’s emerging from that now is another key theme - and you can attest to this if we’ve worked together: I help people find their north star. I help them realize that they’re capable of so much more and make them feel like the best versions of themselves. That’s the outcome of elevating their stories and shining a light on the work they do every single day. So when you clarify your personal mission, consider what the outcome of delivering on that mission is. That's what makes our work feel a whole lot more meaningful, whether we're running our own business or working for an organization.

We don't all need to run out and find a new job if we find ourselves dissatisfied. So much of this work is simply reigniting what's already there. Professor West points out that many of us just need to re-evaluate whether our career identity is ”central to (our) satisfaction or merely a source of discomfort.”

Oftentimes, we just need to re-engage in our current work to overcome that discomfort. That's when we realize our north star is very much in tact, still guiding our way forward.

In the meantime, here’s what I’m:

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert's daily routine.

The moms hiding gift cards and other delightful items in baby care aisles.

The lack of progress when it comes to parental status impacting a woman’s career trajectory. This Fast Company article details a study that concluded 64% of women worry about the negative impact parental leave might have on their career. This was especially prevalent among women who worked at companies with longer paid leave benefits. The study showed that women who took a full six months were half as likely to get a promotion when they returned and 38% less likely to get a raise.

Speaking of women advancing in the workplace, here’s a pretty comprehensive look at how companies can better support the over 50 crowd, a growing percentage of today's organizational leadership.

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