Sunny Klein Lurie loves her job which is helping other people to
love their jobs. Lurie, president of Advanced Performance, Inc.,
holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Systems and consults companies on
improving performance and creating satisfaction, and she assists
individuals seeking fulfillment in a career path. Whether working
with an entire organization or a single person, she seeks to discover
talents and ambitions to determine how an individual can best be
utilized, bringing greater contentment to employer and employee
alike.
Lurie believes
that job satisfaction is a vital key to a fulfilling life.
“Freud
said something which has always stuck in my head that love and work
are the two main areas of life. I think that is so true. The work
piece of our lives is so important regarding how we see and value
ourselves. At any time in the life cycle, having some sort of a
profession some way to use our talent is essential.”
The underpinning in all
of Lurie's work is that everyone is good at something. “Everyone
has a talent,” she says. “The key is to find that talent
and then help people figure out how to incorporate it into their
job. It amazes me that people spend months deciding what car to
buy or planning a wedding but when it comes to their careers, many
people just say, 'Well, I met this guy down the street who's going
to give me a job.' I hear that and think, 'You know, this is your
life!'
Lurie explains that it
may take some time to find the perfect combination of your talents,
your passion and the opportunity to use these to the best advantage,
but it is time well spent. “People need to ask themselves,
'What makes me feel energized? What brings me joy?' These are very
important questions to answer, and while it may take awhile, everyone
can answer them. The path to your most fulfilling job may not be
a direct route; in fact, it usually zigzags. Be patient.”
She maintains that job
satisfaction is within reach for anyone, in any job, with a little
imagination. “I once worked with a student who was a bagger
at a grocery store,” she says. “You wouldn't think that
would be a job with a great deal of room for happiness and creativity.
But he got the idea of printing out little slips of paper with a
thought of the day, and putting them in people's grocery bags. Everyone
loved it, and he became one of the most popular employees there.
There are ways to improve any position. Whether you are a C.E.O.
or a maid in a hotel, the important thing is to add some part of
yourself to the job. You just have to be creative.”
According to Lurie, one
of the most satisfying aspects of her work is helping mothers get
back into the job market. Many mothers find themselves with a great
deal of free time on their hands when their children start school
or go off to college, and they have no idea how to get back into
the work force; they may even be entering it for the first time.
Lurie implements her tried and true plan by first discovering the
woman's talents and then contacting staffing firms and companies
who can best utilize that skill set. If the woman still has school-age
children at home, Lurie focuses her search on companies that are
flexible in their scheduling.
In spite of the reigning
pessimism regarding the current job market, Lurie insists that opportunities
are abundant. “Despite the current economy, I see new trends
and advances everywhere. If people keep an open mind, there are
so many exciting things going on. I can never understand how people
can say that there's nothing out there for them. Whatever your particular
talent is, be excited about it. Go out and talk about it. Opportunities
will present themselves; you just have to be confident.”
Lurie's enthusiasm is
contagious. By evaluating her own passions and implementing her
own talents, she has developed a company that provides a great service
for our community. Her goal is for everyone in the work force to
join her in proclaiming, “I love my job!” and she is
making this a reality one person at a time.
Sunny Klein Lurie, PhD,
is the president of Advanced Performance, Inc.
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