Have you ever thought about the type of company or environment that you feel most able to thrive in? What was it made you feel that way?

Was it;

• that your contributions were valued and recognised?
• a strong sense of team and belonging?
• Where the way you worked gelled with others and the culture?
• Where your values were aligned?

We often don’t think about the environment or company culture we work best in until we find ourselves in one that isn’t quite right. It can be a bit of a shock to the system when all of a sudden we feel like we are swimming upstream. Our career coaching clients often come to us saying they are feeling stuck, unfulfilled and frustrated in their job, but sometimes it isn’t the role, or what they are doing but the environment they are doing it in.

There is a huge amount written on culture by some very talented people, but suffice to say that the culture, whether team or organisation, plays an immensely important role in whether we thrive, our job satisfaction and ultimately our performance.

Let’s talk culture….

Are we a product of the culture or is the culture a product of the people within an organisation – it is kind of the same level fundamental question as what came first the chicken or the egg. But one thing we do know is that it is not just one thing – every organisation/team has their way of doing things, which might be more or less formalised, but certainly impacts on if we believe we belong and if we thrive.

At Facet5 we have defined 7 Environments that we believe help put some structure to the question -“Where do I belong?”.

The 7 Environments are:

1. General Management: These environments appeal to people with wide-ranging interests who aspire to general management and leadership. Driven by the ability to influence things, to have authority and to be able to work with and through a team.
2. Classic Career: Such environments offer continuity, structure and organisational support. People will have time to reflect and build their skills. Work is taken seriously and people apply themselves. Work expectations are clear and routines appreciated
3. Contributor: Such environments make a positive contribution to the community at large. They are doing something worthwhile and being of service to others. Trying to make the world a better place. This environment is strongly team oriented with a focus on close relationships
4. Unconstrained: Environments like this appeal to people with a highly creative streak and who will constantly search for innovative solutions. People are encouraged to push the boundaries, set their agenda and innovate.
5. Producer: A hard-working, production-oriented environment. People want to be given a job and left to get on with it. Success is by measured results and the workplace is organised and driven by practical considerations.
6. Adventurer: These environments allow people to invent things, be creative and manage their workload. They will be recognised for what they achieve. The environment needs to be interesting and freewheeling with a variety of options.
7. Entrepreneur: Environments like these attract people who seek clear rewards for their efforts. They are not afraid of hard work but expect it to be recognized. People are ambitious and protect what they have acquired. Roles are clearly defined and the climate is pragmatic and business like.

With our Career Motivator report, we help individuals to understand the type of environment(s) they may be best suited to based on their personality, what people are doing there, how they fit and how they can flex their style to thrive. Importantly we also help organisations identify the type of environment they are creating and if it supports career satisfaction and retention for their employees. For a lot of organisations, this has been (and continues to be) a steep learning curve over the past few years.  When flexing to meet the demands of a changing market understanding who you are, what you stand for and how to leverage your most valuable resource – your people – seems like a no-brainer.

In this career series, we have been looking at the role of personality and how that supports us in our career planning. We believe that when we understand:

• Our strengths
• How we like to work
• What we like to do and now combined with….
• Where we thrive…

…we bring conscious choice to our careers.

By providing a language and description of our ideal environment we can start to build a career plan that works for us. Not ‘just’ a job – or even a series of jobs. But an ongoing journey with intention and pleasure.

Top Tips

Here are a few top tips from our career coaches for you to consider

• Remember it is ok to sit in one place or move across environments – career journeys are not always a neat linear progression
• We can learn as much about how and where like to work from those environments that we don’t fit, as those we do
• All experience is beneficial
• Ensure you are ‘Jumping towards’ something and not from something…or someone!
• We are made up of an amazing range of experience, skills, knowledge, history and career aspirations yet to be realised. Tap into these in your career planning process.
• At Facet5 we believe when we understand ourselves, truly understand, we can realise our full potential – get to know who you are, your strengths, how you like to work what you like to do and where
• Use this as a way of assessing future opportunities – don’t compromise unnecessarily
• Plans don’t have to be war and peace – but plan! Small steps in the right direction are still steps in the right direction.

Grant Gemmell,
Managing Director, Facet5

Read more career articles from Facet5 – see below