To learn more about what brings people satisfaction and fulfillment in their jobs and their lives, The Institute for Behavioral Effectiveness studied more than 1,500 people. Included were business people, professionals, artists, teachers, homemakers, and those involved in various blue collar trades. The study revealed that three significant dimensions must be considered: work, personal and societal.

Work is what a person does during his or her day. For some people, it is their job or profession… how they earn their living. For others… homemakers, for example, it includes caring for the home and children, and the myriad of other tasks they routinely perform.

The Personal dimension is what a person does with his or her “free” time. It is what they do when they are alone. It is what a person thinks or dreams about during the day or during the quiet hours of the morning while lying in bed waiting for the alarm to sound. It also includes how a person feels about himself or herself… and how they think others view them… their self‑concept.

Societal includes a person’s relationships with others, including immediate and extended family members, neighbors, the community, church and club members, and the activities associated with each of these groups.

The Three Operational Dimensions Are All Interrelated

While it is possible that a person may find a certain degree of success or fulfillment in one dimension and not another, psychological testing reveals that each of the three dimensions is inseparably interrelated, and for a person to function at his or her highest level, each of the dimensions must be considered together as well as individually.

For instance, a person may be very effective in his or her work, but if they don’t feel good about themselves personally, or a relationship with a loved one is out of sync, or perhaps they have had a falling out with someone in their club or church group, that person most likely won’t be able to function at their highest effective level, even though they may appear to be doing an exceptional job.

However, as with all things, there can be exceptions to the rule. Some people are expert at suppressing or disguising their inner feelings and seem to function at high levels of efficiency even though there may be tremendous turmoil in their lives unknown and unobservable to others. While some people can suppress their inner feelings and not let it bother their work or other relationships, most cannot. Even though it may appear that things are going smoothly on the outside, the inner turmoil may be creating subtle conflicts that can influence or impact desired outcomes not always for the good.

Likewise, a person may feel great and like everything about him or herself, but if things aren’t going smoothly at work, with their career or with their relationships with others, that person’s self‑image will likely begin to suffer. And, generally, if a person enjoys great relationships with others, but again, work isn’t going well, or they don’t feel confident with themselves, it’s just a matter of time until their relationships with others begin to suffer.

The next post will discuss how congruency in these three Operational Dimensions is the Key To Effective Performance.