In this week’s episode of Resume Assassin, we explore a question many professionals quietly carry: Why does my career look perfect on paper but feel empty in real life? If you’ve ever felt boxed in by your job title, burned out despite the accolades, or simply bored with your career trajectory, this conversation is for you. And to help unpack it all, we’re joined by career strategist Daniel Hartweg, who offers refreshing clarity and a bold call to action.
Daniel is known for helping high-achieving professionals realign with purpose—and this episode doesn’t hold back. He dives straight into the root of career dissatisfaction: the tendency to chase approval over authenticity. We pursue the “right” job, salary, and image, often without stopping to ask ourselves, What do I really want? As Daniel points out, we spend more energy planning weekend getaways than designing our long-term life path. It’s no wonder so many people end up feeling stuck.
One powerful story highlighted in the episode is that of comedian and former physician Ken Jeong. He left a $200k+ career in medicine to pursue stand-up comedy—while his wife was battling cancer. That kind of leap seems unimaginable, until you hear what drove it: his wife’s simple yet life-altering question, “If not now, when?” Jeong’s story isn’t just inspiring—it’s a mirror. It challenges us to ask what risks we’ve been avoiding, and at what cost.
But this episode isn’t just about dramatic career changes. It’s about taking one small, courageous step toward a life that aligns with who you really are. Daniel offers practical strategies anyone can start today, whether you’re itching for a major pivot or simply looking for more meaning in your current role. From journaling prompts to purpose-mapping exercises, his insights are both actionable and empowering.
Throughout the conversation, listeners are reminded that fulfillment doesn’t come from ticking all the right boxes—it comes from writing your own. And while leaving a career like Jeong’s might not be the answer for everyone, reclaiming your sense of direction is something we all have the power to do. As Daniel emphasizes, the goal isn’t to blow up your life—it’s to build one that feels like it’s yours.
Whether you’re a mid-career professional rethinking your path or a recent grad feeling pressured to follow someone else’s plan, this episode offers a needed reminder: You are not failing. You’re just ready to stop running someone else’s race. Tune in for an honest, inspiring, and deeply human conversation about what it really means to find—and follow—your purpose.
Watch and listen here. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Transcript:
Mary (00:00.878)
All right, guys, so welcome back to the podcast. I’m glad that you’re here with us today because we’re going to be exploring the power of career clarity and how aligning your purpose with your professional goals can lead to true success and fulfillment. Our guest will share strategies for uncovering what truly drives you navigating the intersection of passion and career.
and building a life that feels both meaningful and rewarding. Daniel Hartwig, welcome to Recruiting Insider.
Daniel Hartweg (00:38.291)
Thanks a lot and welcome to YouTube.
Mary (00:42.465)
Joining me today is Daniel Hartwig, the creator of the High Performing Organization Program 4.0 and author of three books, including High Performing Organization and The Mindset Challenger. So Daniel, to kind of kick off our conversation today, what does career clarity mean to you and how do you think it impacts a person’s overall sense of success and fulfillment?
Daniel Hartweg (01:07.113)
Yeah, for me, think career clarity is very important because when I think back when I was young, I just studied because my father was engineer. So I start to study engineering too. And I was not fully clear what I really want in my career, in my life. And I did what everything, what everybody did. So after university, I wanted to become factory manager because it was like the trend also.
colleagues and I started my career as project manager but always had in mind to become a factory manager. I was actually very keen in the beginning of my journey. I traveled around a lot, met lots of exciting people, learned a lot. But again, I wanted to get this job and after that I became production manager. And then finally, with 34 years, I reached my dream job.
And I realized that, okay, I conducted everything I had to do. It was exciting at the beginning, but then a certain emptiness also started. And that’s why I think it’s really important to know where you want to go in your career, what you want to do, and not just doing the traditional journey.
Mary (02:10.371)
Yeah.
Mary (02:13.976)
Mm-hmm.
Mary (02:23.182)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (02:23.231)
Because also, I find many people, they do the traditional careers, but at a certain point in their life, they don’t feel fully engaged, a little bit frustrated. And yeah, I think it’s really important to find out how to avoid this disengagement and to be with full engagement in the career.
Mary (02:32.738)
Yeah.
Mary (02:43.821)
Yeah. You mentioned that you felt some emptiness in your career at some point. So for any of our listeners that are like, yeah, you know, I think I feel a similar type of emptiness. What did that emptiness actually feel like to you and how did you address it?
Daniel Hartweg (03:05.651)
Yeah. So it was not that I was unhappy or anything, but I just thought what next? Because I already reached what I wanted to get. And for me, was, I went to work. I was chasing green KPIs, achieving the targets. But I thought I want to bring more meaning into the work life. And then I started to implementing high performing team workshops with the audience. So with all employees and we went.
offsite two days and I trained all the employees. And what I really loved there is that they developed, they got a spark in their eyes afterwards. They grew, they developed and this satisfied myself a lot because it was not just running behind the goals from the business, but really also developing the people. And these were the first moments where I thought, okay, this gives me meaning. And I also felt a high level of engagement there.
Mary (03:58.351)
Yeah.
Mary (04:01.698)
Yeah. Yeah. And I think that that’s what we’re all just chasing, right? We’re chasing a career that is going to give us meaning. It’s going to give us purpose or, you know, it’s going to fulfill us and it’s going to light us up. And I think that you’re absolutely right. And I think many people can relate to you where it’s like, you know, they climb the corporate ladder and
Sometimes they, you know, maybe, maybe they hit that glass ceiling. It seems like they’ve achieved everything that they want in their career, but there’s still that emptiness where it’s like, you know, I thought I was drawing meaning from this, but now my life has changed and evolved in a way that maybe I need to step out and I need to do something else and find meaning in a different career path. So to somebody who’s like, well, you know, I actually, I really, I’ve loved my career. I’ve had a very successful career.
but now I’m really struggling to find meaning. What could somebody, what would you tell somebody like that? What could they do?
Daniel Hartweg (05:02.521)
For me, meaning has actually two parts. On the one hand, I want to wake up in the morning and say, wow, great, I want to do that job. I love what I do. So the first part are really the passions and talents that I have that I can apply them. And therefore I need also work environment where it’s possible to apply that. Yeah. And quite often if there’s micromanagement or toxic work environment, it’s really difficult. But otherwise, if it’s possible, then applying these passions and talents. And on the other hand,
I think if we only do what we love to do, there’s still a missing point, which is giving something to the society, to other people, and to help them. So on the one hand, it’s what I love to do, on the other hand, to also find something that creates a meaning in terms of bringing benefit to other people, society, environment, or anything. And I think these two parts are really important to implement in the work.
Mary (05:47.672)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (05:55.217)
And this is what I would also recommend everybody to find out, looking in the past, what were the moments where it was really immersed in my work, where the time was flying by in this so-called flow state. Yeah, and I think we all had these moments being doing some sports as hobbies or also at work, right? For example, when I was playing table tennis, I was also fully immersed.
Mary (06:12.862)
Yep. Yep, for sure.
Daniel Hartweg (06:19.219)
But I knew it’s just a hobby. So I had to also find something where I was really passionate. And as I mentioned, these workshops, yeah, they entered in these flow states. And on the other hand, it’s really also to find something that brings a benefit for the other people to get this feeling of meaning because the money is important for up to a certain level. But after that, it’s just not meaningful for us.
Mary (06:46.787)
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, when I look back to my career, I would say six years ago, I was in a position where I absolutely I adored my job. thought it was a wonderful job, but I just I felt this sense of unfulfillment. You know, and it was everything in that position. It checked the box. Right. I was working for a really high profile organization.
I was working with the people that I loved. I was making decent money with great benefits. But there was just, you know, there was something there that I couldn’t put my finger on that just wasn’t fulfilling me anymore. You know, something in me had kind of switched and changed. And I was scared, honestly, to take the step to actually figure out, well, is this what I want to do? And if this isn’t what I want to do.
you know, what’s that next step for me? So for somebody that’s like trying to figure out, okay, maybe this career path isn’t the right fit for me at this point in my life right now. How would you guide that person to help them really align their current passions, their current skills, strengths, you know, with the type that I guess with the next step in their career.
Daniel Hartweg (08:12.489)
Yeah, I personally believe it’s not about positions or job profiles. It’s really about first having this clarity. What is my purpose? yeah, we need really, as I personally did a two day workshop, actually two, three times until I got this clarity. So digging in the past, what’s fulfills me. And once we have this clarity, the next step is also to find out what are the limiting beliefs that pop up because
Mary (08:16.878)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (08:40.027)
If we go out of our comfort zone into the learning zone and trying out something new, our brain will directly tell us, don’t do it. You have a safe job. have sufficient money. Yeah. And I think that’s quite normal. And I think that the clearer your values and your purpose is, the stronger you have the courage to do it.
Mary (08:48.3)
Yeah, right.
Daniel Hartweg (09:01.737)
But it’s not an easy one and I think we should also be realistic because we still have to earn money. We still have to be successful. yeah, but I actually like a four step process. So the first part is to find really the purpose. Again, it’s the passion and the impact that we have on others. Then checking what our brain is doing. So overcoming the limiting beliefs.
And then the third step is to find out what are really the talents that we have and also the co-competencies that we have to develop. So to find out.
If we apply our purpose, what makes us special so that we also have a competitive advantage, because if we do not have this, we will never be successful. And then as the last step, then I would go really in the direction, what kind of job profile do I want to apply? What kind of services do I want to offer? And actually it does not matter if it’s in the corporate world or as an entrepreneur, as long as the environment allows you to live in alignment with the purpose, with your talents and core competences. I think then it’s really.
fine. But I’m really a fan of these four steps and quite often we just look for money, position, authority, power, so at the last part, but we miss what really fulfills us and I think we will only be happy if we align all these three to four steps. And also, for example, think nowadays if we ask people
Mary (10:11.853)
Yeah.
Mary (10:22.274)
Yeah. Yeah, when we relieve. Yep, go ahead.
Daniel Hartweg (10:32.809)
Do you really know what is your purpose and do you feel completely happy in your job? I think the responses are quite low actually and also the Gallup Institute, know these surveys right. So in the US, two-thirds of the people are disengaged at work and worldwide 80%. So it’s really a high number.
Mary (10:43.726)
Yeah.
Mary (10:53.294)
Wow.
Daniel Hartweg (10:54.023)
And that’s why I also think it’s really a crucial point of life because we spend so many hours at work and to spend some time to dig deeper. What is the purpose? What are the talents, the core competencies and how can we really apply them in daily life is key.
Mary (11:08.108)
I read that statistic as well where 80 % of people are unsatisfied with their work. that’s really, that’s a staggering and an astonishing number. It’s crazy really to think about that the majority of people in the world are unsatisfied in their work. And when you think about how much time and energy you put into your job, that leads to overall, you know, probably for a lot of people, a very unsatisfying life.
So why do you think so many people actually struggle to connect their professional goals with their personal sense of purpose?
Daniel Hartweg (11:49.919)
That’s a good question. I think there’s a huge influence from society and from the corporate world itself. And yeah, also from the past, we were driven to go to work and also do work that we don’t love, just to get the money, to have this security, the financial one. And I think nowadays more and more people realize that there’s something more. So yeah, the fixed structure.
is not really fulfilling. And I also always like to use the Maslow’s hierarchy. So we have the, I would say the first four levels. the physiological aspects, are quite fulfilled, I would say in the industrial nations, but also the topics of belonging, financial security, esteem is given when I would say the work environment is not toxic. But the fifth level, so the self-actualization.
which in my opinion is the purpose is the mastery. So really to develop, to grow, to learn and the autonomy to choose what we want to do. This is the part that is often missing. And yeah, but back to your question, I think the society really trims us and tells us how to, who is successful. I think it’s a different definition. What is success?
Mary (13:06.851)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (13:09.221)
And we have to distinguish between success and fulfillment, I would say. And at the end, it’s key to merge them, but the fulfillment part must be given there too.
Mary (13:12.334)
Mm.
Mary (13:18.998)
Society has such a huge pull when it comes to what job that you decide that you want to do. I’ve had a lot of conversations with clients recently, actually, talk about, there are these societal pressures, but there’s also family pressure too. for somebody that grew up in a house of doctors or lawyers or engineers or teachers or whatever it might be, it’s like, there’s this crazy pressure to
continue on the tradition with your family, whether or not that professional aligns with your strengths, your skills, and your passions, and whether or not that lights you up. It just has such a draw. how do you think, or I guess a better question would be, what’s one step that someone could take today to really start aligning their work with what truly matters to them?
Daniel Hartweg (14:18.495)
One step is to, as what I always, let’s say it like this, for me the main step or the main change happened when I reached my 40s because it was like a switch in the brain. So now I’m coming to the second half of my life. And I think if we have this in mind to see how much time do we spend with what we really love, it’s the most important point.
Mary (14:31.0)
Mm-hmm.
Daniel Hartweg (14:45.119)
And once we realized that the time is limited and time is sometimes more important than money, then it’s about going to the journey and seeing what is what I truly burn for. And for example, also for myself, it was really a tough decision. had a good job in an awesome multinational company, quite a high salary, very secure, everything. And, know, my brain was telling me, what are you doing? Yeah.
Mary (15:03.726)
Mm-hmm, yeah.
Mary (15:07.95)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (15:12.317)
As I mentioned before, when we know our values and what we stand for and this authenticity part is so important for me that I knew I have to go that way. Otherwise I would have regrets at the end of my life. And I think this is the main point that we put ourselves at the end of our lives and say, how do I want to live my life and spend the time? And I think this is probably the biggest driver because for me it was actually, yeah. I thought.
How do I want to spend my years, my time? And this drove me to leave my comfort zone and start my own business.
Mary (15:47.245)
Yeah, no. I think that a lot of people are scared away by fear. Just like you said, you had this really high paying, stable job. And I think that a lot of people can relate to that where it’s like, why would I leave this job making $150,000, $200,000 a year and pursue a passion where maybe I’ll make it or maybe I’ll fall flat on my face? you know, it’s like, like you said, it’s stepping out of that.
Daniel Hartweg (16:10.783)
You
Mary (16:15.054)
comfort zone and doing something that’s really, really scary that can be so hard to do. So for somebody that’s listening to this who they’re comfortable because they have a job that pays them a lot, but they want to leave, but they just have that fear. How would you help them overcome that fear to take that first step toward finding something else?
Daniel Hartweg (16:42.631)
Yeah, and quite often they also have, I wouldn’t say excuses, for example, they have family, they have a house and lots of issues come in, right? Exactly. Yeah. But again, one part is the clarity, what I really want in life. If this is crystal clear, for example, also I was asked once if I want to get a higher job and I said, no, it does not belong to what I stand for, what is my purpose. So once we have this.
Mary (16:50.135)
yeah, 100 % they have responsibility. Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (17:11.655)
our values, our purpose, but then we also have to understand our brain. And our brain is a machine that always is telling us about all the dangers, the risks that can occur. And these are the thoughts and I think we all get them. And further we go into the learning zone and leave the comfort zone, the stronger these thoughts pop up. And the key is to…
understands that these thoughts are a natural mechanism from our brain. So from the stone age when there was a saber-tooth tiger, the brain told us be careful and it helped us to survive. But nowadays, if we leave the comfort zone, it has the same mechanism, but we have to understand that thoughts are only thoughts and it’s not the reality. And I think we should understand that the thoughts that can help us to understand the risks, but then we can take the right measures to
Mary (17:40.374)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (18:01.213)
yeah, to contact these risks, but still connect to our values and act accordingly. It’s not easy because sometimes we are so immersed in our
thoughts, it’s like a fusion that we become our thoughts and the key is then to diffuse and there are some techniques that I like for example we need to be mindful when a thought pops up and then there are techniques like thanking the mind for the thought and yeah knowing it’s just a thought or saying I notice I’m having the thoughts and not I am the thought so yeah there’s some possibilities to do that and then really connecting to the values and
Mary (18:29.88)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (18:40.923)
It’s not easy, sometimes it’s also good to have some people around, maybe the partner who backs us up and supports us. But in general, the clarity part to understand what the thoughts are telling us and then maybe a support person. I think these are really valuable elements.
Mary (19:00.78)
Yeah, no, absolutely. Our brain is so powerful. can dictate. I mean, quite obviously, it dictates every single thing that we do, every decision that we make. But I love what you said to just maybe take a step back and just sit quietly with yourself and listen to your thoughts, listen to what your brain’s trying to tell you. And, you know, maybe you can’t always control your thoughts, but you can control
Daniel Hartweg (19:06.42)
Yeah.
Mary (19:29.324)
your actions and your reactions to the thoughts that you’re having. And, you know, especially when it comes to a topic that’s so important, you know, gaining clarity and really finding purpose and fulfillment in life. And especially when it comes to your career, that can be absolutely transformational.
Daniel Hartweg (19:49.255)
Absolutely. And I think, yeah, we all struggle a little bit with these thoughts and really to recognize that they are not the truth and then to connecting with the values is absolutely key.
Mary (20:01.986)
Yeah. Yeah. And you also mentioned that there are a lot of people too that have all this responsibility, right? They may have this big mortgage and a family and kids and they’re the breadwinner, right? So maybe their spouse doesn’t work and they support their family. So do you think it’s possible to find purpose and fulfillment in a role that might not be like your dream job?
Daniel Hartweg (20:26.653)
It was also what I was thinking myself to have to become an entrepreneur to be happy or not. And now I’m entrepreneur and also see the other two challenges, but yeah, but the purpose helps to overcome them and to be resilient. But I would say you can live your purpose in any kind of.
Mary (20:29.453)
Yeah.
Mary (20:35.278)
yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (20:47.859)
job if the environment allows you to apply your talents, passions and is not toxic. And I would do it in a smart way to be honest. If I have lots of responsibilities with children, family, house, et cetera, I would also not just resign and do what I love to do. I would try on the first step. Can I apply?
my purpose already with certain topics in my current job. And that means, for example, if I have communication or training, I proactively ask, can I give trainings? Can I join a communication group or something in the company? If this is not enough for me and I want to dedicate more time, I can also have a look at the hobbies that I have if I want to bring it there. Or I can do a hybrid model. because nowadays part-time work is possible. So
Yeah, staying in the company and doing the normal job there, getting the financial security. And then maybe one or two days I work for my own business could be also a solution, but we should not underestimate the financial part because if this gets so strong, it will attack your brain all the time. And then maybe you cannot really live your purpose too. So I think we should do it in an intelligent way.
Mary (22:01.921)
Yeah, absolutely.
Daniel Hartweg (22:02.099)
But still, it should not be an excuse not to do it because I think, yeah, I also read this article from Ronnie Ware, the Australian nurse, and she was working in this palliative care station and she did interviews with the…
dying patients and the regret number one that everybody had and far above everything else is not to have lived the life authentic to ourselves but to the expectations of others. And for me that was also big part because I also started this traditional career, climbed the ladder, got more authority, more power, more money, but…
At the end what counts is when we are at end of our lives, look back, did I really live what I stood for?
Mary (22:48.195)
Yep, yeah, absolutely. And that’s so powerful to think about too. And you know, a lot of us don’t like to sit here and think about how am I going to, when I’m at the end of my life, how am I going to look back at my life and feel? You know, it’s something that’s really, really scary to think about, but it can be so powerful if you actually think about, am I?
going to be happy with the decisions that I made in my career and in my life. And you can sometimes even use that as a motivator to not necessarily quit your job and pursue acting, but to take the steps, maybe take one step today to start pursuing a little more fulfillment and finding a little more purpose in your work. Like you said, Daniel, whether that’s maybe working on your business.
two days per week to start, or finding projects or initiatives that you can take on in your current role that more align with your strengths and values and things that truly fill you up.
Daniel Hartweg (23:56.851)
I fully agree with you. And we can start with little small tiny actions that relate to our purpose and then we can expand and expand more. Because coming back also to the topic of the disengagement, I think it’s really a big part, the purpose and if we live our passions or not that contributes to this disengagement part. And also mental health issues, have some root causes are if we can live authentic or not. So one thing I think is the
Mary (24:00.908)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (24:26.153)
work environment if it’s toxic or not. And the other thing is can I be really Daniel at work or can you be Mary at work? And if we are squeezed into a position where we cannot live our values, I think this is the worst thing ever.
And then the people resign internally. And I think that’s the key and also should be the trigger. We say, okay, these are my values. I want to live according to my values, according to my purpose. And what I also find interesting, so Daniel Pink, he wrote the book Drive. And I really liked it because these are the intrinsic motivational factors and its purpose.
Mary (24:46.275)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (25:01.105)
its mastery and autonomy. And this is exactly what this career clarity is about. So the purpose, bringing in my passions and
Mary (25:03.459)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (25:09.969)
some meaning benefit for the others, the mastery, the learning curve, because we have to improve our core competences and talents and autonomy to choose what kind of product, services or job I will use. And this is really a booster for our motivation. And I think then we can also, as if the companies understand that if 80 % of the workforce is disengaged, what this means for performance and if they counteract it and adapt their work culture, I think this would be a really a booster for their performance.
Mary (25:11.874)
Yeah.
Mary (25:34.392)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (25:39.873)
and also the fluctuation rate and everything.
Mary (25:43.2)
Yeah, I love that. Purpose, mastery, autonomy. That’s so powerful.
Daniel Hartweg (25:52.926)
Yeah.
Mary (25:53.219)
Have you seen any common patterns or breakthrough moments in people who’ve successfully aligned their career with, or have you seen any common patterns or breakthrough moments in people who’ve successfully aligned their career with their purpose?
Daniel Hartweg (26:12.201)
Definitely. So, yeah, I think you feel when people are really doing what they love to do, there’s a different kind of energy. They, and they also don’t distinguish between work and life. It’s at the end, their life. Sometimes they have to check their energy management, not to adjust work. You too, Yeah, okay. Yeah. For you, for example, would you say…
Mary (26:32.748)
me. Yeah, I’m living that life.
Daniel Hartweg (26:41.055)
When you wake up in the morning, you say, yeah, I love what I do and I’m fully passionate about it or…
Mary (26:47.613)
my gosh. Yeah. I could work. I mean, even on the weekends, I’m like, I’m always thinking about work. And I think that I absolutely love what I do and that helps. you know, typically I’m working with clients on writing resumes and LinkedIn profiles and what I found and what really lights me up and where I go into my flow state is when I’m writing. That’s what I’m absolutely passionate about doing. And I love building my business and growing my brand and
As an entrepreneur, like you said, once you step out of the nine to five, there are other challenges that you run into. For me, one of them is finding that work-life balance because I love what I do so much and I think about it so much that it’s hard to turn it off. But the good part is like, I don’t get the Sunday scaries because I 100 % look forward to waking up on Monday morning and, you know, working and doing.
what I love. And like I said, sometimes I have to force myself on Saturday and Sunday, and even on the weekdays during the week, to turn it off and to, you know, just put my phone in another room, ignore the dings, ignore the emails, and just be present with my family, which is hard to do when you’re not able to turn off work. So there’s definitely, you know, kind of a balance. But yeah, absolutely. I’m totally filled up and find so much purpose in what I do.
Daniel Hartweg (28:14.619)
And I like what you said on Sunday, some people have a bad gut feeling when they have to go back to work on Monday, right? And I like to do always one test with people if they say I found my purpose or not. So I asked them, once you’ve been, for example, on Hawaii, three weeks on the island or Maldives or something, and you go back to work, do you love to go back to work or not? And when you say, yes, I really love to go back to work, I think then you really have found your purpose.
Mary (28:20.78)
Mm-hmm.
Mary (28:32.878)
Hey
Daniel Hartweg (28:43.219)
Because it’s difficult if you’re on this beautiful island and then you go back and the values don’t really match with what you stand for and then you have a bad gut feeling, right? But if it’s fully aligned, then you love to go back and you enjoy also the work.
Mary (28:58.937)
Yeah, yeah, I love that. And I think that a lot of people can’t say that they would be on an island and they would say they would answer yes to that question, Daniel, where they would be like, yes, I’m so excited to go back to work. And, know, it probably goes back to that 80 percent statistic where 80 percent of people are actually unfulfilled and unsatisfied in their work. So I think this is a call to action today. If you are part of that 80 percent of people that
is feeling unsatisfied. You’re not feeling that sense of purpose. It’s probably time for you to take that next step and start to find some of that clarity.
Daniel Hartweg (29:40.217)
I fully agree because many people are disengaged at work or they just go there to get the money and they look for hobbies that fulfill them but at the end it’s just short-term pleasures and I think you also need to find your your passions and what you love to do linked to this beneficial part for others and once you can all align these things and you have a fulfilled life at the end and
Yeah, we spend so much time with superficial things and yeah, reflecting some hours, some days with what really drives you. think it’s absolutely crucial for life and it would also prevent lots of burnouts, lots of mental health issues and this disengagement part at work. And maybe one call to action as this would be also one call to action for the…
Mary (30:09.454)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (30:28.465)
employees or for us, the individuals, but also for the companies I would give a call to action because quite often when the interviews happen they just ask for qualification and if they fit…
Mary (30:28.536)
Yeah. Yep.
Daniel Hartweg (30:40.209)
for this position. And I think every company should also find out what is really the purpose of each employee and see the group purpose. Do they both match and also the company purpose because they should all be aligned. And then to have open and transparent communication between boss and employee and to find out, do we really have the same values? Do I provide you the environment? Because if you just squeeze people in a box, they will never perform over 100%. They will never be at their best.
Mary (30:47.203)
Yeah.
Mary (30:53.516)
Yep.
Daniel Hartweg (31:10.183)
yeah, I think it’s key, to create this environment and then the people can thrive. And if it’s not the environment, then it’s better also to leave and, to look for something else now, but the squeezing in the box, I am personally finding it’s really detrimental for mental health and for performance.
Mary (31:18.626)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mary (31:29.282)
Yeah, that’s a great point. It shouldn’t all be on the employee if you work for somebody, right? Your employer should take action too and figure out what lights that person up, what fulfills them, what brings them purpose, and then align their position with those things. Because in the end, that’s going to be beneficial for both the employee and the employer because the employee is going to be super motivated internally.
to continue doing what they’re doing, to continually outperform, and just to do better, and to grow with the company. And then for the companies, they’re gonna retain their top employees, and they’re gonna keep them happy, and they’re gonna be more productive. They’re probably gonna start earning even more revenue if they take the time to figure out what is it that lights that person up.
Daniel Hartweg (32:22.397)
I fully agree. Maybe one argument is that, we have this given operations and we have a certain framework. fully agree. But every company has a yearly roadmap with strategic actions. And for example, to check with the employees, what do they burn for? What is their passion? And then allocate these actions regarding the passions or the purpose would already be so beneficial. And then you bring more and more in the work life, what the people love to do and do not squeeze them into certain tasks or
Mary (32:28.866)
Yeah, sure.
Mary (32:39.0)
Yeah.
Mary (32:49.304)
Yeah.
Daniel Hartweg (32:52.35)
Yeah, boxes.
Mary (32:53.187)
Yeah, yeah, totally. So, Danielle, what would be one of the biggest takeaways from our conversation today?
Daniel Hartweg (33:04.127)
So I think the biggest takeaway for everyone is that the clarity, what you really stand for, what is your authentic identity. This is key when you take decisions, what kind of career steps you want to take. And it’s not about position, money or authority. It’s really about
Yeah, what kind of passions do I want to live? How can I benefit others and then align everything with this purpose, mastery and autonomy part, because this is a driver for intrinsic motivation. But it all starts with clarity. When we have a clear view of what we really want in life, then the decisions are easy. It’s not anymore. Will I take this job? It’s toxic, but I earn a lot or not. It’s crystal clear if it’s not.
I will not do it. And I will also try to bring small routines which are aligned to these values into my daily life so that I get more and more of what I really stand for. I think this is the key.
Mary (34:01.262)
Love that. Well, Danielle, where can we find you on social media?
Daniel Hartweg (34:05.257)
Yeah. I’m sorry.
Mary (34:08.492)
Where can we find you on social media?
Daniel Hartweg (34:11.199)
On social media, well, I have the LinkedIn profile where I post actually daily. Then I have the website www.mindsetchallenger.com also in Instagram. And yeah, I also just created some online trainings in Udemy also about this topic, Career Master Accelerator Course. Yeah, but mostly I would say in LinkedIn.
Mary (34:37.934)
Well, thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Daniel Hartweg (34:41.119)
Thank you too, Mary. It was really a pleasure to be here and I hope the topic was interesting.