This is Part 2 of 6 in our wellbeing series. We began by introducing the five interconnected elements of wellbeing and the "Notice It, Name It, Spark It" framework for strategic focus. Now we're exploring each element individually, starting with career wellbeing - so when your season calls for attention here, you'll know exactly what thriving looks like and how to build it.
What Career Wellbeing Looks Like
People with strong career wellbeing:
This doesn't require a dream job or perfect conditions. It requires intentional alignment between what you do, what you're good at, and what matters to you.
Building Your Career Wellbeing
Notice It: Pay attention to Sunday evenings. Do you feel dread or anticipation? Track your energy across a typical week - which tasks energize you, which deplete you?
Name It: Identify what's working and what's missing. Maybe you're using your strengths but lack purpose. Or you love the mission but feel stuck without growth opportunities. Naming the specific gap helps you address it.
Spark It: Choose one action this week:
Research-Backed Practices
Studies show that people who use their strengths daily are six times more likely to be engaged at work and three times more likely to report excellent quality of life. Start by identifying your top talents and finding at least one way each day to apply them intentionally.
Create a "learn something new" ritual. Whether it's a 20-minute podcast during your commute or shadowing a colleague quarterly, regular learning keeps career wellbeing alive even in familiar roles.
Build relationships at work that go beyond transactions. Having a best friend at work dramatically increases engagement and wellbeing. Invest in at least three meaningful work relationships.
How Leaders Can Support Career Wellbeing
Employers have a great responsibility to do all they can to ensure they do their part to provide an environment that supports a safe, challenging, and supportive environment. Employees should quip managers to include wellbeing as part of performance management, making "your wellbeing" an essential component of employee reviews, and include wellbeing goals in employee development plans.
Practical leadership actions:
Managers are in the best position to know each employee's individual situation, which doesn't mean they should play the role of financial adviser or life coach, but rather integrate wellbeing conversations into their management practice and ongoing conversations. This is not only the right thing to do from a human perspective - it's also a smart business decision.
The business case is clear:
Gallup's research shows a clear link between employee engagement and wellbeing, with managers serving as a conduit between the two. Engaged employees are more than twice as likely as actively disengaged employees to say they are very or somewhat comfortable discussing their wellbeing with their manager. When employees thrive in their career wellbeing, they bring higher energy, creativity, and resilience to their work. They're less likely to burn out, more likely to stay with your organization, and significantly more productive.
The evidence is clear: Designing an engaging workplace that is the foundation for thriving wellbeing and overall mental health is led by the manager.
Closing Reflection
Career wellbeing compounds over time and it creates immediate rewards. An engaging job where you use your strengths every day improves your interest and enjoyment and reduces stress in the moment. Small, consistent actions - using strengths, connecting to purpose, investing in growth - create momentum that transforms how you experience your work life.
But career wellbeing isn't built in isolation. It requires partnership. Employees must advocate for what energizes them and actively seek opportunities to use their best talents. Leaders must create environments where those conversations happen naturally, where purpose is clear, and where growth is expected.
Wellbeing initiatives that come from the CEO's office work best. One of the most effective ways to improve wellbeing is to be surrounded by people who are making good choices. In an organization, it starts at the top. When leaders model career wellbeing - using their strengths, connecting their work to purpose, celebrating growth - it gives everyone permission to do the same.
The question isn't whether career wellbeing matters. The research is clear: it does - for individuals and for organizations. The question is: what will you do about it?
If you're an employee:
If you're a leader:
Career wellbeing isn't optional - it's essential. You'll spend more than 90,000 hours of your life working. That's too much time to spend disengaged, disconnected from your strengths, or unclear about your purpose. When you take intentional action to build career wellbeing - using what you do best, connecting your work to meaning, and investing in growth - those hours become a source of energy rather than depletion. Small, consistent choices compound over time, transforming not just how you experience work, but how you experience life. The question isn't whether it's worth the effort. The question is: what will you do this week to move toward thriving?
Next in this series: We'll explore Social Wellbeing - why meaningful friendships at work and in life matter more than you think, and how to build relationships that sustain you through every season. Subscribe so you don't miss it.