What if every person felt like they had the best job at the company?

How being in your “zone” can impact performance

We depend on a wide variety of jobs and expertise to keep the power flowing for our customers at Southern California Edison: Engineers, Chemists, Hydrographers, Lineworkers, Mechanics, Meteorologists, Arborists, Recruiters, Data Scientists, Writers, Auditors, Archeologists, Lawyers, Program Managers, Accountants, Biologists…and many more.

Beyond the sheer breadth of job titles that comprise our organization, I am amazed by how many people tell me they have the best job in the company. I’ll be honest, I was a little surprised by a few of these claims.

I could see how someone like Jack Goldfarb, a Herpetologist Senior Advisor (amphibian and reptile expert), passionate about the frogs, snakes and lizards that he is entrusted to protect, is clearly in the right job (though this one is not for me, thank you).

When I asked the question broadly on our company discussion feed – who feels like they have the best job at SCE? – it surprised me that the responses came from every corner of our business: Forestry Advisor, Transmission System Operator, Human Resources Business Partner, Revenue Protection Manager, Training & Knowledge Management Advisor, Major Projects Manager, Native American Tribes Liaison, and more.

The people who are “in the zone” for their career choice have reasons for loving their work that have little to do with their specific title or responsibilities. They feel they have the best job because of the impact they are having, the team they feel honored to work with, the support they receive from their management, the customers who they get to help, and so much more. For them, it almost doesn’t seem like work. It goes beyond that.

We are each responsible for a different piece of this complex business. And every role counts. For many of us, we make it personal, we make it our own. When our unique skills, talents and experience are well-matched with the role we play, everything clicks. When things start clicking, the potential for great performance often ticks up also. A lot.

Is it possible that many or all of us could find ourselves in our zone, and feel like we have best job in the company? How incredible would that be? How would that affect our company and our customers?

As you can tell from my ear-to-ear smile in the pictures above, I am one of those people who feels like I have the best job in the company. Seeing so many SCE team members who feel the same way makes me smile even more.