Why Your Work and Your Mindset About Work Matters

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Work and Motivation

“It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is miserable.” –Benjamin Franklin

It’s a sometimes popular thing to complain about how much work we have to do. Or the type of work we have to do. Or even the fact we have to do work

at all. “Man, I got so much work to do, I don’t know when I’ll ever finish!” “Wow, I’ll sure be glad when the work is done!” We have the wrong attitude about work and it can be hazardous to our employment outlook and our mental health.

Made to Work

The truth is that we were designed for work. Our bodies, our minds, everything about us is designed to toil and sometimes sweat. Some work with their hands, some with their heads, some with both. However we work, we were created for it. Work benefits us as much as we provide benefit through the work we do.

And the type of work doesn’t matter. Someone who labors at farming or construction or janitorial services provides obvious benefits to their people or organizations they serve. So does someone who manages those functions, or even consults with leaders to help them get better results. The key is to recognize that someone is benefiting from the work you do. I am reminded of a TED Talk from Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs and an Eagle Scout) a few years ago. In it, he talked about some of the dirtiest jobs he shadowed and participated in. The common thread he saw was that the people doing that work were almost always happy. They went about their job whistling and went home tired but content. (view about 10 minutes in).

Work Benefits Us

Work provides benefits beyond the paycheck. Beyond what we earn, work benefits us by

Providing a sense of purpose and self-worth
An avenue for creative expression of ourselves
Focus on others
Development of social skills and contacts
Development of new skills
Opportunity to direct our giftedness to the benefit of others

I realize that not all those benefits are provided to everyone in every job; but that’s more a factor of the job chosen than the job itself. Or perhaps even more to the point, it’s a factor of choosing NOT to find the benefits rather than the benefits not existing.

But overall, the function of where we spend at least 40 hours of our 168 hours in a week (roughly 25%), should and potentially can provide benefits that extend past the printed slip of paper (or direct deposit) we receive regularly.

It helps make us what we are and shapes our identity.

Work Crisis

The challenge we face in a time of high unemployment is that for many it takes this potential fulfillment away. We have young adults fresh out of college with all the ambition and even arrogance that comes with being a college graduate who quickly lose heart when they find that the perfect job is not sitting on the other side of dais waiting for them. We have people 50 and over who lose jobs because of cutbacks who are deemed unemployable because of age discrimination. All have something of value to give, yet do not have a place to share that.

The result is that frustration builds, malaise sets in, and even the most powerful speech by Tony Robbins or Zig Ziglar can make an impact.

Forget the Economy. The only saving grace for it is that we have to get people back to making a contribution, whether they are 25, 55, or 75. When we are making a contribution, our self-esteem rises, our confidence surges. When we are confident, we are more likely to spend. Consumer spending boosts the economy. A rising economy benefits everyone.

Did we just solve our problem?

P.S. If you are one of those jobless in the economy, don’t let yourself sink into the abyss of self-pity and discouragement. Take at least some of your time each week as you search for employment volunteering in your community. The social relationships developed and the opportunity to express yourself will keep your spirits up for campaign, while providing a sense of contribution to your community. I know, it can seem like you are wasting time you should be spending looking for a job, but in the long run it will give your a better outlook and more positive attitude so you can make a better impact in that interview. And it shows you are a person who gets things done and doesn’t just sit around idle.

Why Survival Mode Won’t Help You Survive

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Focus on Survival

You see it and feel it out there. It was panic for a few years. Many organizations, particularly small business, watched the numbers on the economic recovery and bought into the doom and gloom of quasi-authoritative prognosticators. They decided that “yes, Chicken Little, the sky really IS falling!”

Panic.

A 2010 monthly report from the National Federation of Independent Business reported that businesses were panicking. Severe cutbacks. Layoffs, even laying off productive people, simply because we have to spend less. Not spending money on things necessary to thrive. I am always reminded of that line from the movie Ghost Busters:

“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”

But never to fear, things are getting better. According to the latest report, businesses have advanced from panic to simply negativity. In other words, no longer doom and gloom, just the gloom. Business owners and managers still don’t feel very good about the economy. The result is

Only a VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE of businesses are adding employees this year.
Very few project adding employees
Very few think sales will go up
Most don’t expect the economy to improve.

Side Note: that’s not reality based. According to Economic Expert Sean Snaith of the UCF Institute for Economic Competitiveness, while economic recovery is happening, even though it will be slower than what we have experienced in the past. And things will be looking up starting as early as the second half of 2013.

Surviving and Not Thriving

How are businesses reacting to all this? By staying in survival mode. Focus on nothing but keeping themselves afloat. Bare bones.

Big Mistake!

There certainly is something to be said for survival. It’s the first order of business. If you don’t survive the now, there’s not much to look forward to in the future.

The problem with only being in survival mode, however, is that it practically guarantees you will not make it past the short-term. As things gradually get better (and they will!), new opportunities for businesses of all kinds will emerge. Opportunities that will require quick action and quick results. Opportunities that will require businesses that are agile and equipped to move on those opportunities.

In other words, businesses that are PREPARED! You must be ready not just with the right equipment and supplies, but with the right people. You need effective leadership, not just management. You need effective teams who have been developed to be productive and work together. If leadership is not prepared to see and exploit opportunities, they will pass you by. If your teams have not already been developed past the initial phases of team formation and are ready to hit the ground performing, you will not produce results on time and opportunities will be lost.

Do more than survive

Your organizations prosperity more than anything else depends on your PREPARED LEADERSHIP and EFFECTIVE TEAMS.

If you don’t position yourself this way, you have a reason to be gloomy!

What actions are you going to take today to prepare yourself and your organization? Share in the comments.

Why Dolly Parton’s Song Lied About Work

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Workin’ 9 to 5

It may be a way to make a living but it’s not a way to make a career. Or a life for that matter.

Quote of the Day on Hard Work

I shared the following on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as my thought of the day:

“Hard work spotlights the character of people;
some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses,
and some don’t turn up at all.”
-Sam Ewing

It’s important to note that it doesn’t speak to building character as much as revealing character. It’s similar to how many say that a crisis builds character; but it doesn’t, it simply reveals it. Hard work reveals character by the way in which we react to it. When we have been trained that hard work is a part of life and a vital part of getting things done, we are apt to dive in and lend a hand when the time comes. Even more to the point, if we jump in without first being asked, it speaks to our character even more.

Hard Work is Beneath Me

As the quote also points out, some refuse to be a part of it. Hard work is beneath their station or status. This is especially prevalent in the workplace. The manager who deals out the work assignments, closes the door to their office, and focuses simply on the end result. Now, I will point out that thinking is very hard work as well. When you are looking ahead, anticipating problems, mulling solutions, brainstorming ways to move your company and your employees forward, searching for new, innovative ways to add value to those you work with; all of that requires, even demands, a managers attention. It is a hard working manager or leader who spends time in the hard work on thinking. The problem is that in most cases management generally doesn’t do much of that either.

Those who think that hard work is below their station or their position are not really in touch with the reality of their business. It also misses that most of the most successful businessman and entrepreneurs spend their time in both mental and physical hard work.

Sam Walton was well-known for going into the trenches, visiting stores, working with and talking with employees on all levels; stock persons, truck drivers, greeters, and all. He spent time paying attention to the details, thinking of new ways to offer more and create a better experience for his customers.
Mark Cuban was a dot com sensation, but few know that in his first startup he worked long hours and didn’t take a vacation for seven years.
Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico, worked overnight shifts as a receptionist while completing a degree at Yale. She often puts in 13 hour days in the office, takes mail home to read (not recommended), and, by the way, raises two daughters.
William “Biff’ Comte, CEO of Accentcare, habitually “job shadows” employees and asks questions about their work to understand what he can do to best serve their needs and provide the best experience for employees and patients. In addition to all those other CEO duties.

Hard work is essential to our success. Sometimes that is get the hands dirty work and sometimes it is put the mind in high gear work. In fact, the most successful spend more time in the mind in high gear part than the other.

It’s Hard Work Time, Where’s Fitz?

Then, of course, there are those who simply don’t even bother to show up when it’s time for hard work. Having in the past worked for a few government organizations and enterprise-level companies, you will find quite a few there. They seem to be everywhere but at their desk; not because they are engaged in work but because they are engaged in anything BUT their work. Curiously enough, they are typically the most negative people you will work with.

Avoid them. They will just suck the life right out of you!

The Hard Work of Thinking

So, as we discussed, our most productive hard work and the work that will be help us fulfill more of our potential is the time we spend in thought. Here’s a few ways to be more effective at thinking:

Block out time on your calendar for “Thinking Time”. Guard it ruthlessly.
Have an agenda for what you plan to think about. Otherwise, you will just have random thoughts
Always be positive. Think positive. Look for positive lessons and results from your experiences.
Think in gradual time frames. Think a week ahead, a month ahead, a year ahead, five years ahead.
Focus on what you are doing right and should continue to do and what you need to change

Your hard work on thinking your way through things brings clarity, focus, and purpose.

Something Every Day

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Seth Godin said that you should have something interesting to say about your business every day; if not, you better find out why.

So Here’s the Start of Every Day

In the interests of that, I am going to attempt to blog every day. At least, every weekday. I will do my best to keep it relevant, useful, and most importantly, short. I am going to talk about what I learn, what I know, and mostly, what I think will be of interest to you in your every day living and working. After all, the purpose of this blog is to help YOU achieve success in your career and your life.

What Should You Be Doing Every Day?

I think one benefit of this is establishing habit. We have our greatest success by the good habits that we establish and maintain; daily growth, reading, Bible study, calling clients, and so on. So while I try to establish this daily habit of blogging, why not join me? Of course, you don’t need to blog every day, but pick some positive habit you want to develop and resolve to do it every day. You can share it here if you want and we can help keep you accountable.

Keep me posted on how you are doing. And hold me accountable here for keeping my habit.

By The Way

One quick note on what you read here. I attempt to add value to you with what I write. I choose my topics based on

what people tell me
what I think I would like to hear
what I read
what I need to hear myself. I figure if I need to hear it, perhaps you do too!

If you want me to talk about a topic you haven’t seen or go into more detail about one, drop me a message.

See you tomorrow.

Who Learned the Most About Leadership?

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Return From Camp

As I mentioned in the last post, I recently escorted 19 Boy Scouts to summer camp at Raven Knob Scout Reservation near Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Being as there is generally not a lot for adults to do there, I was able to spend a lot of time observing, reflecting, and planning. This is our second straight year at this camp and we plan to return next year as well, primarily because this particular camp is so well run. The amazing part of it is that the program is almost entirely run by Boy Scouts, not adults. And by almost entirely, I mean that the adults involved are in supporting roles and primarily managerial roles. The Program Director on down are Scouts running the show!

Now, summer camps by necessity are pretty well-structured and offer lots of programs. A Boy Scout camp is no different, offering opportunities for the boys to work towards rank advancement or earning merit badges. All that structure requires a lot of staff members to make it go, providing administration, program, food service, and other elements. When you have a program that is well-organized and runs smoothly with that many factors and personnel involved, and it is run by boys; well, that deserves a little looking at to find out why. So, I did.

The Raven Knob Difference

The Camp Director is Keith Bobbitt and my understanding is that his philosophy and approach is what drives the success of this camp. Keith is what we call a Professional Scouter, an adult who gets paid to do this. In talking with Keith both last year and this year, I am struck by the awesome leadership he exhibits with the summer camp program. Keith has developed a vision and core values that are the cornerstone of the program. Applicants to work summer camp are carefully reviewed and selected. All staff members are required to attend ongoing training in how the camp runs, their roles, and their leadership. As camp goes on, Keith and his team identify staff members who exhibit extraordinary competence and leadership. Those candidates are then provided with additional training and guidance, moved to more challenging roles, and return the next year to serve in higher capacity.

As I mentioned, even the Program Director is a Scout. He is responsible to lead all the section directors (also mostly all Scouts) and lead daily meetings with adult leaders from all the troops that attend to keep them informed. If you have an issue during camp, you will speak to Scout to get it resolved. When I asked Keith Bobbitt about the Program Director role and how he can confidently fill it with a Scout, he told me that the person for the that position has actually been trained over a few years to fill it. He even confidently boasted to me that when the current Program Director ages out of Scouting or moves on, he has 3-4 others already prepared to take that role on and maintain the consistency in the effectiveness of the camp.

Vision, Empowerment, and a Commitment to Excellence

A few take-aways for me stood out from observing the week, not all of it new but certainly reinforced:

Vision helps everyone perform better. What’s amazing about Camp Raven Knob is not just that it is run by boys — other Boy Scout camps do that as well — but rather that it is run so smoothly and efficiently by boys. They were always courteous and helpful. And while those two words are part of the Scout Law and you would expect them to be that way at every camp; the reality is that not all of them go the extra mile with it like they do at Raven Knob. I believe it is because the vision of what they want the camp to be is consistently communicated to the staff. Once they understand the vision, it sets an expectation, which then makes it easier for the staff to behave in a manner consistent with that vision.
Empowerment lets each person contribute and spreads the load. When you provide the vision, tell them to go make it happen, and get out of their way then most everyone will rise to the occasion and perform based on the vision. By empowering the Program Director to run things, make decisions, and make changes as necessary, Keith not only allows that Scout to truly contribute to the success of the camp, he is making his own load lighter as well. When the Program Director allows his section directors to do their jobs and make decisions, he also is developing people and lightening his own load. I daresay that if the Program Director kept all the decision making to himself, he would go crazy around week 2 or 3.
Boys teach me more than I ever teach them. They had challenges of bad weather at points, being in a totally unfamiliar environment, hustling around from session to session all day, and yet took the time to thoroughly enjoy themselves and get to know each other better. I believe our troop firmed up their relationships that week through the shared experiences and the resulting “inside jokes” from that. Litigious spiders, “are we there yet? Yes, get out!”, playing SetBack, and “Hey, Hi!” will all become cultural components of our troop. And it reminded me of things I often forget in “the real world”.