Thoughts on the Economy and work

For months now we've all been inundated with "The Economic Crisis" here, in the States, in Europe - everywhere, I suppose. Some are flying in the face of it with a "live life today, for tomorrow you may die" approach, others are taking a bunker mentality and hoarding cash, food, and likely weapons against the looming End of the World as We Know It. Most, as far as I know, are taking a middle ground. That's where I've been.

Today, my employer laid off 22 people. This represents an incredibly small fraction of our total workforce, but it is still jarring. The first response was "Well, it's not me. My job is safe." Then I thought, "too bad for those people, I hope they find something else soon." THEN I thought, "Everyone has to make tough choices in business, and if this is what needs to be done to make the business succeed, it's the right thing to do."

Then I stopped a minute. And it occurred to me that I, like so many people (I suspect), are pretty darn passive about our employment, and the success or failure of our employers. It is far too easy to say: "I put in my hours and do my job, what more do you want?", but then is it right to say: "I put in my hours and do my job, this company OWES me my job!" ? I don't think it is.

To my way of thinking, if you want your job (career, if that's what you prefer to call it) to continue, and especially to thrive, you have to take responsibility not just for your personal tasks but also for your employer's success in general. You can't say, "Not my department, not my problem." You have to look for that little extra bit that can make things grow and succeed.

Call it what you want - networking, promotion, corporate pride, "pimping the brand" - whatever. If you are proud of your employer (and if you're not, you should be working somewhere else), you should be walking your talk and talking your walk, every single day. You should - no, you MUST - get to know your coworkers, and take a moment to not just acknowledge them, but to really connect with them, every day. People are PEOPLE, not positions or email addresses or files. Have coffee. Have lunch. Tell a joke, bring donuts. Learn about their kids, their pets, their hobbies. Show them you give a damn what they think and feel.

The other thing is the old "Continuous Process Improvement" jazz. The funny thing is, it's not just for managers and consultants and MBAs. Don't just DO your job, look for little (or big!) ways to do it better, faster, more environmentally friendly, more CONNECTED to the big picture. Change is scary sometimes but it can also be exhilarating. Stop a moment and really THINK about the possibilities. See the opportunity, take the chance, offer the opinion. Just as there are no stupid questions (no, really!), there are no bad ideas - just ideas that may not suit the situation. But you have to keep thinking, and thinking beyond "my job". Because your job depends on the success of your employer, and their success depends on every single one of their employees doing their very best.

There's a classic movie, "The Bridge on the River Kwai". If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's a World War 2 story about a Japanese POW camp full of British soldiers, who are forced into labour to build a bridge for the Japanese that is critical to that war effort. They resist - naturally, who would want to help their enemy? But the leader of the British troops, he turns it around. He makes the bridge THEIR bridge - a proper bridge, an historic bridge, built by the best efforts of his men. He inspires pride, teamwork, craftsmanship, and discipline. He appeals to their sense of duty and honour. He is a capital-L Leader.

His opponent, in a sense, is the camp commander, a Japanese officer who is also a man of honour and discipline, but who is not a Leader. He instructs the British, "Be happy in your work!", but happiness in work must be rooted in a sense that the work is meaningful, part of a larger purpose. His continued frustration at the lack of blind obedience the British soldiers display is magnified when he sees how the true leadership of the British commander is seemingly effortlessly effective.

However, there is a piece of the puzzle that goes beyond duty, honour, and pride. It's loyalty. Loyalty in the workplace is a lost art, a semi-archaic notion, many believe. However, loyalty is at the core of corporate community and success. We must feel that if we do our absolute best work, we will be rewarded fairly (and, one hopes, continually). If we are loyal, should our employer not be loyal in return? Simply, yes, but these are not simple times. Our employer must be loyal to the workforce as a whole entity, a living growing thing. As with the human body, sometimes the corporate body requires the removal of an unwell part, or an excess, to continue to thrive. To reference another favourite movie ("Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"), "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few - or the one."

So, now that I've pontificated and quoted and so forth, I want to say something simple. I have grown to be good friends with many of the people I work with. Some have left, just as friends in my personal life have drifted away over time. It's the natural order of change. I miss my friends. But I am happy in my work.