(Original Title: Turn a ‘Day Job’ into a Thriving Career)
Introduction There is a prevailing myth in the corporate world: if you are unhappy in your role, you have two options. You can quit (The Great Resignation), or you can do the bare minimum (Quiet Quitting).
But research into organizational psychology suggests a third, far more effective option: Job Crafting.
You don’t always need a new job title to have a new job experience. You need to redesign the role you already have.
The Science of “Owning” Your Role Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski, a professor at Yale School of Management, coined the term “Job Crafting” to describe what happens when employees actively redesign their work to align with their strengths, values, and passions.
Unlike a top-down job description handed to you by HR, job crafting is a bottom-up process. It involves three specific levers you can pull right now:
- Task Crafting: Altering the scope or nature of your daily responsibilities.
- Relational Crafting: Changing who you interact with and how.
- Cognitive Crafting: Changing how you perceive the value of your work.
I saw this transformation firsthand with a client I’ll call Sheila.
The Case Study: From “Toxic Positivity” to Strategic Impact Sheila was a manager in a high-pressure tech firm. On paper, she was successful. In reality, she was drowning.
Her “brand” at work was the “nice one.” She was the cheerleader. She brought the energy. But she confessed to me that she had received feedback that she was tipping into “toxic positivity.” She was so busy keeping everyone happy that she wasn’t being direct, and she felt scatterbrained and undervalued.
She didn’t need a new job; she needed to craft the one she had. We used the Job Crafting framework to turn her “day job” back into a career.
1. Task Crafting (Changing the “What”) Sheila realized her “cheerleader” habit was draining her and preventing her from being seen as a strategic thinker.
- The Shift: Instead of just bringing “good vibes” to meetings, she assigned herself a new task: Synthesis. She began ending every meeting by summarizing the key points and next steps.
- The Result: This small task shift changed her standing in the room. She moved from “passive participant” to “driver of clarity.”
2. Relational Crafting (Changing the “Who”) Sheila felt isolated because she believed she had to carry the emotional load for the team.
- The Shift: She began delegating more tactical work and, crucially, started asking her peers for help.
- The Result: This shifted her relationships from “Mother Hen” (a drain) to “Collaborative Partner” (an asset).
3. Cognitive Crafting (Changing the “Why”) This was the biggest breakthrough. Sheila stopped viewing her role as “keeping people happy” (which is impossible) and started viewing it as “removing barriers to performance.”
- The Result: This cognitive shift allowed her to be more direct and honest. She realized that clear, sometimes difficult feedback was actually more kind than toxic positivity.
The Outcome Sheila didn’t change her job title—at least, not initially. She changed the architecture of her job.
By the end of our coaching engagement, Sheila wasn’t just happier; she was promoted. She had demonstrated the exact kind of autonomy and strategic agency the company was looking for. She moved from enduring a “day job” to leading a thriving career.
How to Craft Your Own Role You don’t have to wait for a promotion or a new offer letter to start this process. You can start today.
- Audit your tasks: Which 20% of your tasks drain you? Can you automate, delegate, or trade them?
- Audit your interactions: Who energizes you? Who drains you? How can you structure your day to maximize the former and minimize the latter?
- Reframing: Why does your job exist? If you rewrote your job description based on the impact you make rather than the tasks you do, what would it say?
Bottom Line Waiting for your organization to “fix” your career satisfaction is a recipe for burnout. Job Crafting puts the locus of control back where it belongs: with you.
It requires self-reflection, and often, it requires a partner to help you see the possibilities you’re blind to.
Ready to redesign your work life? If you are tired of “checking out” and ready to check back in, let’s work together to define your professional journey and make it yours. Schedule an exploration call today to see how coaching can support your craft.
