Job satisfaction in the experience industry - Choosing a profession where nothing can go wrong

The clock strikes early on a January morning just as the clock changes to 05:45. A new day is dawning. Dawn? I take that back, it's not yet dawn. Here and now, the winter darkness reigns and it's hard to get up. But the bag has to be packed, I just have to pull back the covers. As I roll the bag behind me in the gravel outside my home, I am heading for my third work trip in as many weeks. The journey will, once again, go south via Denmark's largest workplace - Kastrup Airport - to the final destination, which today is southern Spain.

I am struck by how tired I feel as I approach the car. Yesterday ended on the couch with the computer in my lap just before midnight. Meetings had to be scheduled, emails had to be answered and various administrative tasks had to be completed before I could feel ready to focus on the next day, on the next task. 

I get in the car, turn on the seat heater and drive out of the parking lot shivering. A lot of thoughts fly through my head. I need to be at the airport early to get connected for today's management team meeting. I wonder if I will make it in time? The meeting issues occupy most of my brain capacity until Osby, where I stop for a much-needed coffee. 

I give myself time to reflect. I am struck by the fact that my work is a constant oscillation between strategic issues and operational work: from major global issues to the details of a specific mission. The variety of tasks should be almost total, and I wonder if others feel the same way?

"Leading a medium-sized entrepreneurial company in the experience industry is certainly a challenging assignment," I have time to think while the steaming coffee puffs out from the coffee machine at the gas station. The journey continues through Skåne. Fatigue leaves my body. I thank the coffee for it and feel excited to get there. 

I really like Kastrup. It feels homey in a strange way. By now I've been there a few times over the years. It's a place that usually builds up some kind of anticipation, whether it's a work trip or a vacation. I like that feeling.

In my armchair in the SAS Lounge, I continue to think about my job as a producer of meetings and events. Why am I still in the business after so many years? What is it that drives me? What makes me get up every day and go to work? Working long days, weekends and being out in the field for weeks? Always demanding flawless results.

The simple truth is... work ethic. 

In other words, my work is a pleasure that brings me joy = job satisfaction. To be surrounded by creative colleagues, to constantly meet pleasant and professional clients and to have exchanges with talented partners. To be enriched by meeting other people, both intellectually and spiritually. Being in the middle of a world that is constantly changing and requires constant development. To go from an idea scribbled on a piece of paper to a successful implementation, to see a desk-top product transformed into a fully-fledged experience that changes people and organizations, perhaps forever. All this is energizing. 

But this job is not for everyone. 

This job is not for everyone. You need to be passionate about it. You must love meeting people and have a natural interest in people. You must enjoy service and give of yourself to make others feel pleasure and joy. You must always be on your toes and be able to deliver at your best - even after a 16-hour day. 

You must be passionate about it. You must love meeting people and have a natural interest in people. You must enjoy service and give of yourself to make others feel pleasure and joy. You must always be on your toes and be able to deliver at your best - even after a 16-hour day. 

On the flight to my final destination, I think that I have a very enjoyable job after all, even if it is sometimes demanding. But before I can feel any self-pity, I reason with myself again and add the word "demands" to the list of reasons why I feel like working. Demands are, after all, what make us push boundaries, what make us constantly develop and give us new insights. 

Many of our customers are tough clients who set high standards and are clear about what they want. Most often, the demands are intellectual challenges that require new and unique solutions. 

Other times, it's about finding the energy to saddle up on an early January morning and get ready to face a new day with new people in a new place. 

I love it.

/Ola

Photo: Stina Svanberg (portrait image), Ola Comstedt