Interview conducted with Shoshana R. Dobrow (London School of Economics) and Hannah Weisman (Harvard Business School) about their co-authored article, “Calling and the Good Life: A Meta-Analysis and Theoretical Extension”, published in Administrative Science Quarterly. The research explores the concept of “calling,” categorising it into internally focused (personal fulfilment) and externally focused (societal impact). The interview, conducted by Xiaoxia Zhu (Salisbury University) and Daniya Kamran-Morley (University of Pittsburgh), delves into the inspiration behind this framework and the study’s broader implications.

If you have fallen out of love with your job or career, a sabbatical might be a good alternative to quitting* (*if it is possible). I was burnt out when my sabbatical began. Not any more. I have a fantastic job and I’m coming back fired up, with the “spark” that Professor Shasa Dobrow describes in her work.

Many people associate this weekend with themes of sacrifice and renewal. And that can lead to questions such as: what do I actually give my time and energy to? What do I really find important? Last month, Shoshana Dobrow, Hannah Weisman, Daniel Heller and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas published a large meta-analysis – of 201 previous studies – on calling and the good life. Important questions were: does it help if you experience a calling in your work? Does that make your work better? And does that also apply to your life as a whole? First things first: what is this “good life” that the authors are talking about? They focus primarily on the experience of pleasure, happiness, meaning and purpose. And what exactly is a calling? The meta-analysis produces two different lines of thought.

The idea of ‘following your passion’ is widespread in popular culture and on social media. With the pandemic having given many people pause to reflect on meaning in their own lives, this episode of LSE iQ asks whether the advice to ‘follow you heart’ or to ‘find your calling’, is good advice. We’ll learn how following a calling turned one LSE graduate to beer and building a successful social enterprise, via a holy revelation. We’ll hear stories of animal hoarding, passions gone wrong and burnout. And there’s some hopeful news for those of us who just haven’t found our passion yet.

Are you part of the whopping 60% of people in both the UK and US who are feeling unhappy at work? Now that it’s spring – a time of new beginnings – perhaps you are scratching your head, wondering if it’s worth leaving your job and looking for something new, something more exciting and meaningful, something more satisfying.

No matter where you work or what you do, there will always be an element of drudgery. It’s impossible to avoid the routine and mundane in your everyday job activities. Do you have a lot of paperwork to get through on a daily basis? How about emails and phone calls? Are there people you have to deal with who annoy you no end? If you’re familiar with the cult classic movie, “Office Space,” you might remember the scene where the boss, played by Gary Cole, leans over and reminds the very disgruntled employee, played by Ron Livingston, that “I’m going to need those TPS reports, ASAP… so if you could do that, that would be great.” This, and the many other annoyances leads Livingston’s character eventually to leave it all behind. Clearly, this was an individual who felt completely disenfranchised from his job.

Just because you love the job does not mean you will be any good at it. Do your homework before making a career move.

One approach to career pursuit encourages people to prioritize doing what they love and to pursue their passions, as exemplified by Steve Jobs’ statement that “the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.”