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.

How to be happy when you're sick

1) Have a fantastic day and evening on the day-prior-to-sickness.
2) Wake up feeling totally miserable but secure in the knowledge that your spouse is going to make sure you don't die.
3) Sleep. A lot. Like 20 hours out of 24.
4) Wake up day 2 feeling marginally less miserable but secure in the knowledge that your spouse is going to make sure you don't die (and will make you soup when asked nicely).
5) Realize that work things are not so urgent that they can't wait until Monday.
6) Rest, hydrate, geek a bit, and appreciate the love of spouse and kitties, who only want you to feel better.

Yes it's a holiday. Yes I'm at work.

It's Monday morning, and while the allure of another lazy day (and the obvious temptation of a warm, husband-filled bed) was strong, the knowledge that I have a mountain of filing and organization to do at the office poked my "responsibility center" firmly and kicked me out of the house.

Surprise! All the feds are working today, so the building is pretty much full as usual, with the exception of our floor.

So, work before play, I have three hours to get 'er done, as Larry would say, and then back home for some afternoon WoW with the family and a leisurely evening. On the upside, if I hadn't driven into work this morning, I wouldn't have heard Van Morrison singing "There'll be Days Like This" on Radio Two Morning. I love that song. Love that show! In fact, today I feel like I love pretty much the whole world.

Happy Monday. The sun is shining!

Long weekends, laziness, and love

It's a provincial holiday here tomorrow so we get a nice midwinter long weekend. The sun has been shining, though it's cold, and I have been having a glorious emotional rebirth. The past couple of weeks, I have shed a lot of negativity and embraced challenge, change, and stubborn optimism. There's a whole lot to this - some of it work-related, some of it personal - but it goes back to Ghandi "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." I must be the change I want to see in me!

Step 1: Decide what I want. Make a list. Discuss, debate, really talk things through with people I trust.

Step 2: Dive in. Start making changes, doing more, being more; I don't need permission but I do appreciate support.

Step 3: Stop and smell the coffee. Or the herbal tea, or the chicken curry or whatever. Do more living in the moment, and you know what? More moments get lively.

So I've been having a FANTASTIC week, and it's culminated in this weekend which is all about spending really close personal time with my spouse. Talking, not talking, being silly, being serious... just being TOGETHER in a way that the usual Monday-Friday doesn't always leave time and energy for. It's sheer coincidence that it's Valentine's weekend, because honestly I don't buy into that Hallmark-holiday stuff. And it's good, really good.

HAPPY DANCE!

Sam is back! Happy day, happy day! Woohoo and Skip-a-dee-do-dah, Sam is BACK!


(I really missed Sam)