Calibration

Every once in a while it feels right to recalibrate the compass.

I hesitate to put a flag in the ground and proclaim “this is why we’re here” because I don’t want to limit the ideas I explore. That being said, a good portion of the work that’s stacking up is pointing in a certain direction.

I thought: If I had to write a trailer episode for this blog, what would it say? (It’s a more drawn-out way of asking the question: “Why are we here?”)

This is where my heart and brain are leading me:

This I Believe

Businesses shape the cultures we live in. They’re the cultural glue for shared experiences and set the stage for most of our day-to-day interactions. We engage with businesses every day as customers or owners, but especially as employees. We spend a huge chunk of our waking hours at work and our experience there shapes our lives.

But work is broken.

We live in a world where it’s normal for employees to talk trash about their bosses, and bosses view their employees as a necessary evil. Instead of tapping into the potential of work, we see it as simply a means to an end. It’s a lose-lose for both parties, and our culture is the collateral damage.

Businesses are at their best when there are people taking ownership at every level. This only happens when there’s a common language, shared sense of purpose, and a culture that encourages this style of work. But these cultures don’t happen by accident, they’re created.

As leaders, it’s our responsibility to set the tone and create the environment, but stepping into that responsibility isn’t easy. Leadership can often feel lonely, stressful, and more like a punishment than the opportunity it is.

This is a space to explore that opportunity.

I dream of a world in which people find joy in the work they do. A world where work is a place to embrace challenges, create, and grow while contributing to something bigger than yourself.

If you’re not a business owner or manager, that’s ok. Leadership isn’t about a job title, it’s about sharing your gifts to lift up the people around you.

It’s an opportunity we all have. So let’s get to work.