Pride in Your Work

What is Taking Pride in Your Work?

It’s a subtle mixture of humility and self-confidence. It’s the sort of job you do when no one’s looking. It’s striving for quality—not because your customer or your manager or your colleagues will judge you if you don’t, but because that’s just the standard you hold yourself to. It’s how you’re wired.

I think… no matter your income or your educational background… it’s what dictates whether you love your job or hate it. And I think it usually correlates almost exactly with whether you see yourself as an active agent of change in your career, or a passive and powerless spectator.

The professional who doesn’t take pride in his work is the one who moans about “the daily grind” and feels that life begins and ends on the weekends. I can’t help thinking about Peter Gibbons, the main character in one of my favorite movies, Office Space. I think we all know a “Peter Gibbons.”

He’ll turn in lackluster work. Make excuses. Blame others or their circumstances. He may claim he’s “doing his best” but he won’t pay any mind to the goals or plans or results about his work that paint the real picture. I mean, why even go to work each day if you’re just mailing it in?

“Pride of ownership,” is a term widely used in our business to describe the sense of satisfaction and pride that property owners feel about the condition and appearance of their property. This feeling could also extend to real estate agents who take pride in their work. Afterall, you own your business and I hope you are proud of it. As an agent, pride of ownership, or pride in one’s work, can have a significant impact on the success of one’s business. Let me ask you… are you proud of the work you do each day? Proud of the effort you put in. Proud of what you have accomplished?

On a personal note, my daughter called me last night and told me how disappointed she was because she didn’t get a job she interviewed for. She was clearly saddened to get the news because she wanted the job very much. Of course, I went into “dad mode,” offering a virtual shoulder to cry on but after a few minutes of that, I shifted the conversation to offer some perspective. I asked, “Did you prepare for the interview?” “Yes dad,” she replied. “Did you nail the interview, ask great questions and give great answers?” “I think it went as well as I could have expected,” she said. I then went on to tell her that even though she didn’t achieve the objective, she should be proud of the effort she put forth. Proud about getting the interview in the first place and prideful that she gave it her best.

Pride in one’s work doesn’t necessarily have to be directly tied to a desired result. We are often disappointed by not seeing the outcome we had hoped for. However, I’m convinced that if you approach any challenge with humility and self-confidence and give an effort that you can be proud of, you will sleep well when your head hits the pillow at the end of the night.