Start With These 3 Questions to See If You’re in the Right Job

By Marney Andes

There were a few times in my career where I’d recognized that things weren’t going the way I’d wanted them to.

I realized that the organization I was working for wasn’t right for me or the boss I worked for didn’t communicate openly. The work wasn’t prioritized or approached with the same values I believe in. I was working a position that didn’t work towards my “work why.”

Well here I am, starting a new job, reflecting on the things that I’ve learned throughout the years both from my dad’s teachings in my book (which you can purchase here on Amazon), and from years spent learning from my experiences.

Hear me out: it took me a long time to figure out how to check in with myself. I didn’t know starting out that I needed to ask these questions. Heck, I was just happy to have a job that would pay me a salary plus benefits after spending years in school working for it all.

The more time I spent working and seeing where I fit in, the more I started grounding myself in these three concepts, checking in with myself daily to see if I was doing work that aligned with what I believed in.

So, whether you’re preparing to leave a job, getting ready for a new job, or just wanting some way of checking in with yourself during your current job, here are three questions you can ask yourself to ensure that you’re working a job that you align with.

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1. What’s My “Why?”

In healthcare, which is the industry where I work, there’s always been this deep-rooted culture about knowing what our “healthcare why” is. Why do we work in healthcare when we’re not the ones providing the care? Why do we want to support healthcare workers, and what grounds us in serving this mission each and every day when we step into our role? (Replace "healthcare" with any industry you're in, and ask these questions in your own context.)

During the development programs that our team would lead, the first thing we’d do is ask people to figure out their “healthcare why”.

For me, I first came into the healthcare field in air medical (helicopters, “flight for life”). My “why” was insanely clear at that time-- it was because of my dad.

Three years before, my dad had been airlifted a few times during his battle with pulmonary fibrosis, flying his last time to Denver, where he ended up passing.

I remember my mom being so impressed with the flight experience and the care he was getting onboard, and three years later, finding myself leading the recruiting team after working in air medical.

I also remember telling the team that our job wasn’t to source, interview, and onboard pilots as fast as possible, but to get the very best pilots.

“They aren’t a recruiting metric for us to achieve,” I’d said. “These are the men and women who we’re trusting to pick up our loved one on the other side of the road after an awful accident or at a hospital and fly them to where they’ll get the best care for their injuries. These are the men and women we’re trusting with our family, friends, and everyone around us, whom we care about. We can’t just think about checking a box on who is sufficient or who meets the requirements. We have to get to know who these people are, and trust them ourselves as if they’re taking care of the people closest to us.”

The more I worked in healthcare, the more I saw myself getting drawn to help serve physicians and clinical teammates as they assist patients to help get them the best healthcare plan possible. Because as my dad’s experience was heavily influenced by air medical, it too was influenced by primary care physicians and clinical teammates.

Your primary care physician is somebody who’s in charge of you on a holistic level. It’s your source of determining if you’re eating right, sleeping right, taking care of yourself; the whole gamut.

So… why do I work in healthcare?

Because I believe that having a deep, connected relationship with your primary care physician is more indicative of your health than most anything else.

So now, it’s your turn. Create your work “why” in a statement like above. Ask yourself the question:

Why do you work in [industry]?

And answer with:

Because ________.

Here are some guiding questions to help you get closer to that answer.

What do you wholeheartedly believe in?

What does it stem from?

Why do you need to practice doing this every day?

By answering these questions, you won’t just have a great elevator pitch when asked why you do what you do, but you'll have a simple statement that’ll be the reason behind every work decision you make and will make big choices like whether you should change jobs that are much easier to make.

But, hold up for a second. There’s something you should understand.

For some people, their work doesn’t speak to their “life why.” And that’s okay, too. Sure, it’s important to have a “work why” so you can continue challenging yourself and driving yourself to growth, but take note:

It’s okay if your “work why” is different than your “life why.”

And remember that your “why” can change throughout the years. Perhaps your interests and mission have become more deeply grounded in a different purpose than what you’d thought. Maybe you’re finding yourself gravitating towards a different passion after a life-experience challenged your other “why.”

It’s important to check in with this and ensure that what you came for is what you’re still here for.

2. How Can I Further My “Why?”

I was recently recruited to a new job position that gave me the ability to be a part of something bigger, serving my “why” even more than I was doing before.

I had this unique experience of being sought after by a company that I was already using for myself and my family’s primary care. “We’d love for you to come and lead strategy on how to create a teammate experience so our physicians and their teams can really do their best work.”

My “why” was lighting up even more than it was at my current position. Help those who are helping me-- of course, I thought to myself. I was ecstatic. This was aligning exactly with what I’d just written in my book, especially “Always Find a Win-Win Solution,” and “What Have You Done for the Good of the Community Today?” lessons.

For you, it might not have to start from an outside job. There could be an opportunity within your company that you haven’t taken into account.

What other teams have you worked with or observed in the organization that are doing things you’re interested in contributing or learning from?

What specific teammates are being highlighted by the organization or you’ve heard speak at a town hall, that you’d like to learn more from?

What projects are other teams and teammates excited to be part of? A few questions like these might help you learn more about what’s already going on in the organization and how you might get involved.

So using these guiding questions, and knowing your "why," ask yourself:

What opportunities do I have at my current job that I may be overlooking?

What chances could I grow in serving my greater mission?

How can I more deeply resonate with my "why?” Would it be within my company, or on a different team?

3. What Can I Take Account Of?

When I used to play basketball, I remember my coaches playing pickup games amongst each other. They loved coaching us, but wanted to feel that rush of playing the game themselves. They wanted to feel the joy of playing.

For me, leading my most recent team is similar. I loved sharing a vision, coaching others, and watching my teammates thrive in their work, but I wanted to be in the depths of things with others, just as my team was with one another. I wanted to get my hands dirty, too, but when I stepped back, there didn’t feel as though any pick-up game was forming.

Now, it’s so easy to get pulled into the day-to-day, forgetting what you really want. Some jobs require a lot of different responsibilities without giving you time to really step back and ask yourself what’s making you happy.

I saw myself wanting to do the work, but not getting a chance to. I took into account the responsibilities I was performing, what was making me happy and what I wasn’t able to do that I wish I could.

And then, a former teammate asked in her own way, “do you still want to play? There’s some really skilled, athletic, and fun players I’d like to introduce you to. They’d like how you play the game. I’ve been playing with them for a year and I think you’d like them, too.”

I needed more from the leadership side of things, and I knew after hearing more about this opportunity that I’d get that in my new position.

So, today, I’m doing just that: I’m lacing up my shoes, and joining a new league. I’m moving on because I’ve taken account; not because I needed to leave the other place.

Now, ask yourself:

Why are you at your company? Is it for your teammates, your company’s mission, your position, or something else?

What joy do you find in your work? And if you’re not seeing, feeling, experiencing joy, what would it take to do so?

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