Work at its best, then, is about connection, engagement, and commitment. As the poet Kahlil Gibran said, "Work is love made visible." Echoing Tolstoy, he gave examples of work done with love:
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart,
even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection,
even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy,
even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection,
even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy,
even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
I believe knowledge business like consulting is no different. It may be a little harder to visualize... How do you research "competitive differentiation" with love? How do you write reports on facts and figures with love?
But that's what we have always done at my company. We have always kept our sights on things like consumer lifestyles, values and social consciousness, because we believe businesses start with people. Corporations are made up of "people," and the products and services that they offer are created to serve the needs of people. What we do for our client organizations ultimately serve the needs of our family, friends, and lovers. A simple, but often overlooked fact.
This Monday morning I would like to go into my work with this thought in my heart. How do we bring out LOVE MADE VISIBLE in consulting business? A worthy question which I would like to challenge all my colleagues with.
I'd like to think its visible in the way the report is delivered, the way the phone is answered, the way the envelope is addressed, the way the closing lines of your email reads, the way you provide something more than what is expected.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think the personal attention tied to the work makes the love visible.
You're awesome. Keep doing good Misako!
Best,
Justin
Great post! I think that it's essential to make that human connection in order to be remarkable. Making sure that things "ship" is also important. Whether delivery is by taking action and making that call, responding to an e-mail, and/or posting a blog/sharing ideas...all of these things are important. People cannot be changed by art/ideas if they
ReplyDeletearen't delivered.
Regards,
Frances
Wow! You know it's easy for businesses (mine included) to forget this at times. We get so caught up in the running of the business and the fires that need to be put out, we can sometimes misplace that LOVE that we have that compelled us to get into what we do in the first place.
ReplyDeleteMy passion is adventure and connecting people who can help each other. I LOVE being able to help someone... especially when I don't know the answers. Which is a lot! :) Not knowing but still helping allows me to learn as well... and that's what I think I need to remember and keep visible in what I do.
Thank you for sharing this! It's good to be surrounded by people such as yourself who are smarter than I am! Posts like this really get me to think about where I am in my journey and how I can improve.
Thank you Misako!
I love this! "businesses start with people. Corporations are made up of "people," and the products and services that they offer are created to serve the needs of people." Companies and people have forgotten this. People are the greatest asset, not money, buildings, stock equity etc. Success of the individual and corporation depends on understand this and making LOVE visible.
ReplyDeleteGreat Article!