Wondering whether you should stay at your current gig, or go somewhere else that pays a little better?
Before you decide, take moment to learn about the different Ps of employment, so you can better balance the pros and cons.
Paycheck = How much can you earn? Making money is important, but not everything.
Proficiency = How good are you at the position? Can you execute with eyes closed, or is it a stretch opportunity that will require lots of practice, and maybe some risk of failure?
Passion = How excited are you about the subject? Are you good at it, but bored, or do you think about the subject in your off hours because you love it?
Purpose = Does it answer your desire to make a difference, deliver a public service and pursue a higher calling, or is it just about the paycheck?
Path = Is it a dead end, or does the career or position provide a path forward to the growth and opportunities you desire?
People = Do you like the people you’ll be working with and for? An org is only as good as your immediate boss and team.
Place = Is this somewhere you want to live, or commute to? Does the geography make sense?
Power = Will the company and position give you the power you desire? Big companies allow you to impact at scale but within smaller niches, e.g. your changes to the McFlurry at McDonald’s will impact millions, but at smaller companies you usually have more power to impact the overall org, e.g. redo the entire menu for your local restaurant.
Processes = How much process and structure do you like? Do you like following, creating and optimizing repeatable processes, or does just hearing the word process send you screaming?
Prestige = How important is the prestige associated with the job? Does the title and organization brand give you the prestige you desire?
Pace = What’s the work life balance like? Are you running all day, every day? Are you constantly sprinting, hitting hourly and daily deliverables, or is it more of a marathon, where projects take months and years to deliver?
Partition = How effectively can you partition your job from the rest of your life? When you walk out the door are you mentally, physically and emotionally over with your work for the day, e.g. you’ve delivered all the mail for the day and therefore truly done, or you’re working on a murder case that will consume your thoughts, regardless of whether you’re in the office or not, and even if you could you’re getting calls day and night.
Perfect = What’s rarely possible, the job that provides everything you want. The reality is, it’s very rare to land a position that gives you everything you want, but that’s life, so learn to be happy where you are, and invest in other aspects of your life to get the joy you want.
Good luck! And may you find the Ps that are the most important to you in your next position. 👏👍🏽
Kevin Mireles 