Why People Do Great Work

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Why do we work? Why do people do great work?

Work is not about money. Work is about growth. Work is about how we express ourselves. Work is how we show our inner selves.

If you want to know a good person, look at how they work.

According to Hubert Joly, ‘Through work, we are part of a web of human interactions, dealing with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and so on.’

We all work– and lead- best when we embrace vulnerability, learn from failure, and strive to be our best rather than the best.’

Companies are not souless entities. They are human organizations made of individuals who work together toward a common purpose. When that common purpose aligns with their own individual searches for meaning, it can unleash a kind of human magic that results in outstanding performance.’

‘Business does well by doing well.

Employees stand at its center because the secret of business is to have great people do great work for customers in a way that delivers great results.’

Doing great work starts when people feel treated like individuals- not human capital- in a work environment where they can thrive.’

‘Doing great work for customers happens when employees relate to these customers as human beings, not walking wallets.’

Treat everyone as a customer, as a human being with real needs.’

When a business is in trouble, listening to the individuals on the front line is the best place to quickly identify what ‘crazy’ goofy, or stupid’ things … have been getting in the way.’

Source:

Hubert Joly (2021). The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism

Time Is…

Person Holding Burning Paper in Dark Room
Photo by Eugene Shelestov

You are not free until you know how to manage your time. Progress doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when you know how to manage your time.

Time is precious. Don’t waste it on things that are irrelevant to your dreams. Manage your time well. If you know how to manage your time, you will know how to live your life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Time lost is time when we have not lived a full human life, time unenriched by experiences, creative endeavor, enjoyment, and suffering.” So if you want to live a full human life, you must manage your time well. Because time is your life. If you waste it, you waste your life.

“Time is too short for those who rejoice.”- Henry Van Dyke

Live your time. Your time is important. Use your time to get yourself to where you want to be. Use your time to change other people’s lives. Use your time to love, to create new things, to change what you don’t like about yourself. Don’t use your time to bring other people down. Don’t use your time to watch TV. Use it to live, to give thanks to God, to reach out to your friends, to read, to draw, to design, to make the world a better place.

Time is important. Use your time to live your own life. Use your time to create yourself, to reinvent yourself. Steve Jobs once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” We are not going to be here forever. But while we are still here, let us not waste our lives. Let us live our lives.