So good they can’t ignore you

How can you find a job that you are good at and enjoy? This book advocated “craftsman mind-set” of patiently developing skills instead of the typical “follow-your-passion” advice and offers practical solutions to acquiring and maintaining job satisfaction.

Probably, at one point or another, someone, somewhere has told you that the secret to success and happiness is to “follow your passion.” This is the slogan of countless self-help gurus around the world. But is the advice good? If so, why did Steve Jobs build one of the most successful companies in the world while his passion was to become a Zen master?

“So Good They Can’t Ignore You” does away with the “passion trap” and instead looks at more realistic and practical ways to succeed in and be satisfied with your career. You will learn how to develop the rare and valuable skills that great jobs require. You will also learn how to parlay those skills into control and autonomy in your work – a "must" for job satisfaction. You will also discover how you can find your own mission: an inspiring goal to strive for professionally.

1. Passion is rare, and striving for a job you’re passionate about often leads to unhappiness and dissatisfaction

"The passion hypothesis" taught by life coaches and authors urges individuals to "do what they love." The gist is this: find your passion first, and then meaningful work will appear at your fingertips.

But is passion necessarily the right path?

First of all, real passion that coincides with professional possibilities is extremely rare. When questioned in a 2002 study, 84 out of 100 Canadian university students responded that they did have passions. However, most of the passions they identified had no viable relationship to available careers, but were instead hobbies such as dancing, reading and skiing. In fact, only four in 84 of the students identified passions with direct connections to work or education, such as computer programming.

Secondly, passion can be dangerous.

Since the birth of “the passion hypothesis” in 1970, more people have begun to follow their passions. Convinced they should do only work they love, they switch jobs more frequently. But the job market can't meet these demands. Since we cannot all be professional beer drinkers or poets, more job seekers wind up in jobs they are unhappy with. In fact, job satisfaction has actually declined in recent decades; in 2010, only 45 percent of Americans surveyed were happy with their jobs, down from 61 percent in 1987.

This means that looking for the work you were "meant to do" is likely to be a route to constant job-hopping and self-doubt.

2. Don’t do what you love. Learn to love what you do – by acquiring mastery, autonomy and relatedness

It would seem that finding a passion first and then creating a career around it isn’t the route to success. But if it isn’t, how else can you be happy with what you do?

The answer might lie in experience. But experience isn’t the only factor contributing to job satisfaction. Another is expertise.

When you have mastered something, it is more likely that you will become passionate about it. A scientific theory called the self-determination theory demonstrates this. The theory has identified three basic factors required to generate intrinsic motivation, which is in turn linked to higher levels of job satisfaction. These three factors are: autonomy, the feeling that you have control over your day; competence, which is the feeling that you are good at what you do; and relatedness, the feeling of connection you have to other people.

To be autonomous and competent means to achieve mastery in your given field. To do that, you don’t need passion, only the willingness to work hard to acquire that mastery.

3. Adopt the craftsman mind-set, practice hard and get out of your comfort zone

The passion mind-set revolves around the question: “What do I really want?” This means people who have it tend to wonder if their job is right for them. They focus on the value their jobs provide them, and are acutely aware of everything they dislike about their work. The result? Their job satisfaction and overall happiness decreases.

By contrast, the "craftsman mind-set" asks: What value can I bring to my job?

The craftsman mind-set acknowledges that no matter what field you’re in, success is always about quality. As comedian Steve Martin puts it: "Be so good they can't ignore you." Focus on the quality of the work you are doing now, instead of always wondering if it is your true calling.

When you adopt the craftsman mind-set, you will not hesitate to do what is necessary to improve the quality of your work.

And how can you improve quality?

Through deliberate practice, which is practice that stretches one’s abilities and from which constructive feedback is sought.

Although deliberate practice is often strenuous and uncomfortable, you should not avoid it because only by adopting it can you attain true mastery.

Adopt the craftsman mind-set, practice hard and get out of your comfort zone.

4. To get a great job, collect career capital by acquiring rare and valuable skills

The craftsman mind-set is helpful in any career because, by encouraging deliberate practice, it helps you acquire specialized skills and mastery. That's a good thing, because people with rare skills are more likely to get great jobs. These are the rare jobs where workers can be creative and have control over what they do.

So how do you get one?

In a supply and demand employment market, if you want a rare and valuable job, you need equally rare and valuable skills. These skills are called career capital, and they are what helps set you apart from other individuals.

Acquire career capital to maintain control and autonomy in your work.

5. Use the craftsman mind-set to find a motivating mission that's a unifying goal for your work life

Every job is more motivating if you have a mission. People who have a useful, meaningful goal in their work are more satisfied with their work and are better at handling even stressful work.

Harvard biologist Pardis Sabeti, for instance, has a mission to use modern computing technology to fight old diseases. Although she works in a demanding field, this mission allows her to enjoy her work and even leaves her with energy for other creative activities too.

So, now you know how to be so good they can’t ignore you: Use the craftsman mind-set, acquire career capital and, step by step, find and pursue your mission.

By Cal Newport