• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
        Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
        NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his...
        Indiana K-9 unit recognized with national Medal of Valor
        “I thank God for putting us at the right place at the right...
    • Labor
      • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
        Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
        Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
        New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
        “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
    • Tech
      • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
        One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
        Crypto crime investigations
        Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
        iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
    • Training
      • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
        Working effectively in low light
        Realism and stress inoculation in training
        Avoiding conflict and escalation
        U.S. trails in police training
    • Policy
      • Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
        Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
        Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
        Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
        Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
        Expanding your identity
        Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
        A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
        Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
    • Community
      • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
        First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
        Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
        “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
        Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
    • Offbeat
      • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
        Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
        Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
        Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
        Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
    • We Remember
      • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
        Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
        Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
        Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
        “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
  • On the Job
    • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter...
      Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after...
      NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his...
      Indiana K-9 unit recognized with national Medal of Valor
      “I thank God for putting us at the right place at the right...
  • Labor
    • LAPD union proposes police stop responding to non-emergency calls
      Florida’s recruitment program lures Chicago police officers to the...
      Staffing shortages plague Cleveland police as record number leave the...
      New Orleans interim police chief aims to hire civilians in time for...
      “Anyone can get this job”: Memphis police lowered hiring...
  • Tech
    • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise...
      One of country’s oldest cold cases solved with DNA from untested...
      Crypto crime investigations
      Austin Police Department launches non-emergency artificial...
      iPhone crash detection feature helps deputies rescue driver from canal
  • Training
    • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of...
      Working effectively in low light
      Realism and stress inoculation in training
      Avoiding conflict and escalation
      U.S. trails in police training
  • Policy
    • Oregon law enforcement and retailers seek to combat organized...
      Utah bill aims to regulate how law enforcement uses genetic genealogy...
      Opposing POVs on permit-less carry
      Ohio bill would lower minimum age to become a police officer to 18 to...
      Utah bill would allow people with “invisible conditions” to alert...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Thinking of pulling the pin on retirement?
      Expanding your identity
      Nonprofit offers telehealth therapy to upstate New York first...
      A California police department’s new wellness unit aims to improve...
      Massachusetts police department prioritizes officers’ mental health...
  • Community
    • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth...
      First responders share love of reading with children for Read Across...
      Colorado Springs police kick off annual soccer ball giveaway to bond...
      “These are beautiful animals”: Community members gift horses to...
      Central Texas nonprofit to open law enforcement museum in honor of...
  • Offbeat
    • Ohio police rescue man from brutal zebra attack
      Motorist stranded in Oregon wilderness without cell phone reception...
      Cincinnati police work with animal rescuers to capture exotic cat...
      Not UFOs: Police departments across the country receive 9-1-1 calls...
      Texas deputy detains runaway tortoise after “slowest foot...
  • We Remember
    • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes...
      Law enforcement from across the country join seventh annual Fallen...
      Boone County holds fifth annual Jacob Pickett Remembrance Day to...
      Farewell to a “living legend”: Oldest law enforcement officer in...
      “Officer Becerra will never be forgotten”: Colorado police...
  • Between the Lines
    • The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

On the Job

Finding meaning in your work

What you get out of a job depends on how you define it

Brian Mc Vey Published April 5, 2019 @ 9:00 am PDT

What you get out of a job depends on how you define it

Three brickmasons walk into a bar and order drinks, and the bartender asks what they do for work. The first brickmason answers, “I lay a lot of bricks.” The second says, “I’m making a wall.” The third replies, “I’m building a cathedral.”

In other words, as Dr. Viktor E. Frankl famously stated, “It is not a person’s occupation that creates meaning or fulfillment but how he or she does the work.” 

Those in law enforcement have the opportunity to find meaning in serving others. There is great joy in being able to help another person. Years ago, I had the pleasure of sitting in an ethics training session filled with bosses from the Chicago Police Department. The instructor posed this question: “What has been your favorite day on the job?” A majority of the bosses’ answers included helping someone, often in what some might consider an insignificant way. Some talked about caring for people with medical issues. Not one answer involved arresting someone. This question made me think of the many happy moments I had on the job helping people. These are chances for officers to create their own favorite moments on the job. 

Their answers made me think about a custodian at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas. Some may think being a custodian isn’t the most important job in America, but don’t tell that to Charles Clark. For almost 25 years, he has been cleaning classrooms and bathrooms and counseling students. Most of his student “clients” are referred to him by the school counselors. Clark has helped dozens of kids turn their lives around — not because it was a part of his job duties, but because he found satisfaction helping those in need. There is a lesson for anyone feeling trapped by their title: You can always do more than your title. Clark used more than his broom to find meaning at his job.

Author David Brooks tells another story of finding meaning at work with hospital custodial workers. Some of these custodial workers defined their job as “cleaning the floor,” while others described it as creating a safe environment for patients. Brooks explains that if your attitude is about service, your job becomes more satisfying and meaningful.

Brooks compares a career to marriage: “Nobody enters marriage with a utilitarian mindset: ‘Does this pass a cost-benefit analysis test? Am I getting more out of it than I’m putting in?’ … And anyone thinking about a career in law enforcement should enter their academy with these questions, ‘Who can I serve? What am I pouring my effort into? Am I all in?’” Brooks also warns that dwelling on serving others has its problems. He cites the English author Dorothy Sayers, who argued that when you attempt to serve a community, you can become obsessed with whether the community sufficiently appreciates your work. This is what turns affable officers into cynical coppers. Sayers said the best way to truly help a community is to do your job well — to primarily serve and find meaning in the
work itself.

Men and women in law enforcement know the job is more than just a badge and gun. You are counselors, legal advisers, teachers, friends, mentors, social workers, psychologists, ministers, jugglers, judges and more.

Some find great fulfillment and joy in their jobs because they have answered the following questions:

  • Have I undervalued the importance of my work?
  • What is the cost of a lack of meaning in my work?
  • What do these symptoms say to those entering my line of work, as well as to my co-workers?
  • How can I discover ways to engage in meaningful work? 

Remind yourself that the largest piece of your daily routine is devoted to work and related activities. If we hope to experience life as meaningful, we need to experience our work as meaningful. If you find little satisfaction in your current position, work on not being that dark cloud at roll call. Don’t wait until the end of your career to realize the significance of your job — make an effort to find its importance today. 

As seen in the April 2019 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: On the Job

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Semi-truck collides with South Dakota police cruiser during winter storm
  • Florida 9-1-1 dispatcher guides family member through CPR after toddler almost drowns
  • NYPD officer rappels down skyscraper to save man from jumping to his death
  • New Jersey girl supports first responders through Running 4 Heroes program
  • Indiana K-9 unit recognized with national Medal of Valor
  • “I thank God for putting us at the right place at the right time”: Wisconsin police officers save choking child
  • National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Announces February 2023 Officer of the Month
  • New N.J. emergency service officers ready to respond in times of crisis
  • “Tennis brings us all together”: NYPD officers bond with youth through community tennis program
  • New Jersey turns to license plate reader technology to address rise in auto thefts

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.