Your Work Identity Part I

Have you ever thought about what your current work identity is? You can think of it as your beliefs and judgements about yourself at and around work. This identity can impact the decisions you make, the way you work, and how you interact with people.

Before I discovered this concept, my beliefs about myself at my job would run through my head, but they weren’t something I took time to think about or articulate. At times, I would get wrapped up in my work identity without even realizing that’s what I was getting wrapped up in. 

For example, at a recent job, one of my beliefs was something like

I’m a hard worker that overachieves. I care a lot about the people on my team. People can count on me. If I keep working hard, I will keep getting promoted.

I’m not saying this belief is necessarily good or bad, it is just a framework for how I viewed myself and my work. It labels what I believed and now looking back, I can understand why at times I felt burnt out or like I was giving so much of myself to my job. On the flipside, it also can explain why I was proud of the work I did. I worked hard and I cared a lot. That was my identity.

Your Current Work Identity 

We all have beliefs about ourselves at work. Power and clarity can come from thinking about and labeling your current career-related identity. I do this exercise with some of the people I work with and it’s helpful for them to shine a light on their work image. That opens a world to other insights that are linked to that image.

Brainstorm 

Start to think about what your work identity is. You can do this by pretending you are an outside observer looking in. Or you can take time to reflect and name your thoughts and beliefs. I recommend writing this out. Brainstorm and think about the following questions. 

• What has your work identity been up until this point?

• What are your beliefs about who you are in or at work?

Don’t pass judgment on what you write. There is no good or bad. At this stage, we are just bringing awareness to how we perceive ourselves at work.  

Sum It Up

Looking at what you wrote, if you had to sum up your work identity in a few sentences, what would it be? 

Remember, there is no good or bad identity. Our values, perceptions, and definitions of success may shift over time. This is just something for us to be aware of.

Awareness

Now that you have given thought to your work identity, notice how it plays out in your days. Be aware of how it affects your decisions, your confidence, or your stress. Maybe you’ve become closed off at work without realizing it? Maybe you work long hours as a habit? Maybe you are moving through your days with confidence and ease?

This week is about awareness, next week I’ll follow up with how to create and be intentional about your work identity going forward.