After a decade of interviewing and studying more than 1,000 workers — from Fortune 500 CEOs to Chipotle kitchen managers — Harvard researchers might have cracked the code to being happier at work.
The secret, according to the researchers, is to focus on progress over perfection in your career, which leads to greater fulfillment than chasing a "dream job" that ticks all of your boxes.
In other words, "identify what energizes you, understand what your priorities are and embrace the trade-offs needed to get there," Michael B. Horn, a co-author of the research and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, tells CNBC Make It.
The findings are detailed in "Job Moves," a new book co-authored by Horn; Ethan Bernstein, a professor at Harvard Business School; and Robert Moesta, CEO and founder of consulting firm The Re-Wired Group.
Letting go of the "dream job" ideal doesn't mean abandoning ambition — it's about building a more satisfying and balanced career, Horn explains.
Persons:
Michael B, Horn, Ethan Bernstein, Robert Moesta, —
Organizations:
Fortune, Harvard, Harvard Graduate School of Education, CNBC, Harvard Business School, Wired