If you're not living under a rock, you'll definitely have heard, read or seen something about how companies prize and reward their employees based on what they do, and therefore, what they are. Very little thought is given to why we do those things, and even less to whether that defines us. More often than not, people just don't care. But if we spend well over a third of our lives at work, the companies and people we work for might as well care!
I've used the words "employees", not people, and "what they are", not who they are because it's consistent with the approach that seems to be dominant in the current society. It appears as if we are only what we do; if we don't do anything worth of note to the outside world, then, well... We're nothing?! That's ridiculous, and I'll explain why if you stick with me. I'll also share with you how I feel it's a more reasonable way to think of people, employees or not, and why it matters.
I doubt anyone will argue if I point out Google as the flagship for the “we're a different kind of company” concept; not because they're the first ones to do it, or even the only ones to do it successfully, but because they made it look cool and everyone else paid attention. Many others rally behind this movement, few are actually different and even fewer are even aware of what it is that matters, or how some things can't be replaced by a new ping pong table or an over the top Christmas party. Most of the highly hyped strategies the media happily cover are based on material or cosmetic changes, and not enough on people and what changes their lives.
do as I say, not as I do
This saying keeps coming to mind when I read yet another of the million articles published about a set of elite companies that managed to stand out from the crowd that is the world of business—whichever theirs is.
By mentioning Google as the flagship for this movement, obviously, I have an agenda. No! I'm not about to say they're all wrong, or that I don't see benefits in the way they run the company. I brought it up because in any of those articles about how they do their business you're likely to find mentions—or allusions—that this kind of management choice is supported by the fact that “we are what we do”. To be fair, the outsiders writing about this probably don't see the point in mentioning all the other things a culture of that kind involves, but headlining an article with "They have a slide in their office" or that "Segways are available for any employee to move around" is much more compelling, let's face it. The thing is, then readers think those are the only things that matter, and some don't ever realise the most important things are free and invisible to the eye ;)
This first part was merely meant to establish a reference point, the same way I could have mentioned the BBC, should I wish to talk about a broadcaster of notice, or Deloitte, should I want to talk consulting. Well, I'm the Happiness Officer, so it won't surprise anyone that what I really want to talk about is... Making people happy.
Ultimately and to put it bluntly, I disagree with the “we are what we do” philosophy that the 21st century society seems to rely on so much. I do laundry, but I certainly don't want to be it! I also do dishes, packing, refill the coffee machine and climb up and down the stairs but I'd be absolutely depressed if someone was to describe me as “Rita, a great climber of stairs”. Seriously, that'd be about as nice as banging my toes against the corner of the furniture. So, what is it that matters? If we're not what we do, then… What are we?
I say…
we are what we love
I do the dishes and don't want that defining me, but I would be happy to be thought of as someone who loves to read, or that has a crazy passion for travelling or—to prove I don't just mean “big” things—someone who loves ice cream. As long as it's not chocolate! I know, I'm weird…
Unfortunately, we live in a world where the icy numbers often trump the fire. Where loving to do something is often replaced by “having to do" something else. Most of us grow up being taught noble stuff like “do your best”, “always do the right thing” and “try as hard as you can”. Not many of us were taught to choose to do what thrills us. Not many of us were asked what our passion was. Fortunately, plenty of people grasp the importance of doing themselves some good early enough that they get around to doing something about it, but they're still a minority. Even the smartest people I know struggle when given the opportunity to explore a subject based, solely, on the fact that it makes their skin tingle in a good way.
is that a trick question?!
“What do you want to do?” is mostly seen as a trick question where there's a predetermined correct answer. For most of us, for the majority of our professional lives, that is the case—if we're even asked! As long as our wants are the same as the person asking (usually "the boss", because others refrain from asking questions—"What's the point?" they say instead), all is good. If not, deal with it!
Here at MetaBroadcast we encounter daily situations where people can do what they want—even if it's the exact opposite of what they wanted the day before. Granted, some consistency is welcome, but we're all entitled to expressing particular desires. Still, regardless of how often these choices are offered to people, and how many times they got proof that no bad consequences would come from their decisions, there remains resistance to the endless possibilities that it creates. People are really not used to being able to do what they want (opposed to what they are told to do).
I remember my first day here. I had arrived around 10am as had been agreed and when leaving for the night I went to say goodbye and ask what time I should be around the next day. With a smile on her face, Mirona told me “Whenever you want, up to you”. I'm sure I must have had a confused, even if amused expression and still tried to dodge the issue by saying “I can be here at whatever time is best”. I'm sure I wasn't the first, nor the last person to have such a come back, and Mirona had a well trained answer for me, in the form of a few questions: “Great, but what time do you want to come in? What time would make you happy to get out of bed? Do you like to sleep in a bit in the morning, or wake up early?”*. I picked up on the idea, albeit a bit worried whether it was truly dependent on my free will alone. Nonetheless, my immediate response was to say that in that case, I'd be arriving closer to 10:30 than to 10:00. This tiny example illustrates how hard most of us find dealing with “doing what makes us happy”. Most of us tend to narrow our eyes at the prospect while considering in how many ways it can turn on us.
the best things in life are free… so is happiness
I find it unfortunate the way society perceives certain initiatives solely based on "treats", what people can (monetarily) gain from them, or even how the focus is placed on the cosmetic side of things. It makes me sad :( Mainly because the best work done has nothing to do with it! It's all about feeling good with yourself and what you do. Feeling comfortable and respected. Happiness shouldn't be a bonus in our lives, it should be part of the plan all along. More often than not, it's also not related to more beer, more cakes or a shiny new flat screen. It's all about people. Our people.
That's why we honestly tell our team to do what they want (so long as it doesn't make anyone else unhappy), why we insist on a development process that revolves around talking to each other, and why we give public praise to our Foodie Friday winner each week for the most impressive things done in the previous iteration, as identified by those who voted them a winner. It's even why we have company updates once a week, instead of the daily demo; this was requested by the team, and it's incredibly useful to hear (more often than not) from Chris how we're doing, where we're going, why a customer needs a particular product from us, how they use it, what our competitors do. In how many jobs was this part of your week? What about *all of the above*? :)
If people could grasp how much work happens in parallel with adding a slide to the office, segways, gourmet food, pingpong tables (…you name it!), to ensure that those are more than 'fun houses' (which they should be, anyway), they'd be in a better position to understand why a pool table means nothing if you feel you're being crushed away into nothingness by the boring things you do, or why having drinks readily available are mere details if you feel you need to drag yourself out of bed each morning.
When companies don't care about their teams enough to tell them what's happening, to listen to their doubts and cheer for their successes, then what the hell do they expect to get from a pool table or a cool new flat screen? It's all about remembering you're working with people, not robots (most of us, at least). But it's not all on the companies… People clearly struggle with making themselves happy, too, even if encouraged to think about it and act on it.
If you were to ask me (or people who know me) about a few of the things that come to mind in relation to who I am, I'm sure most (if not all) would be related to things (or people) I love. From time to time I still need to remind myself to keep doing the things that make me happy and avoid those that don't—don't we all? And I know people remember me for what I truly enjoy. Depending on the context of the interactions we have, people's perceptions may be closer to this than what I think defines me: someone who doesn't half-do things, who definitely prefers being awake at night (and sleeping in the morning…), a people-person, someone who loves to travel (postcards!!) and can't avoid reading into the night, spending time with friends is a must, sunny weather makes me happy (I know, and I moved to London, huh?), pizza and I are close friends (everyone knows that) and my family is important, despite not saying that nearly as often as I should.
On the other hand, I guarantee I won't be remembered for my Chemistry knowledge (blargh, how I hated it when I was in school) or by my moves (yeah, dancing is not really my thing). There's always more that can be done, too; for example, I'm terrible at not leaving the office later than I should. There's always something else to do and I love what I do, so… :) I still have to work on leaving a bit earlier, baby steps probably, and keep reminding myself that the work I don't get done one day, will be waiting for me right there the day after!
So I'll finish with a couple of questions… What makes you happy and what do you do to make sure it happens? When was the last time you thought "I'd really love to do this… But I better do that instead"? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this in the comments, on Twitter or, why not come meet me at our next MetaBeerTalks on August 14th?
* Mirona's just told me this now gets asked in the initial chat with a candidate.