Time to Dump Your "Have"
So far in my young blogging career, I’ve focused on employers realizing the benefits of building an engaged and loyal workforce. As a consultant, I’m simply one person. I don’t have the time nor the resources to touch every company personally, so I’m hoping that those of you that read this piece find the content compelling enough to share it with others. Without further adieu, fellow employees, this one’s for you…
First, let’s start with a simple question…why do you do what you do? I’m talking strictly professionally. Why do you do what you do?
Let’s discuss our childhood. We’ve all heard that we model our parents’ behavior. According to a study in the Harvard Business Review, as children, from a work-life balance perspective, we typically land in one of the following four categories:
1. We willingly adopt our parents’ model
2. We unintentionally adopt our parents’ model
3. We willingly reject our parents’ model
4. We unintentionally reject our parents’ model.
These make perfect sense. I have friends who have followed in their parents’ footsteps and are in the same profession, and, I have friends that have intentionally done the opposite. As the article states, there are some instances where individuals straddle between a combination of the four.
Employees, how does your employer impact your children? Does it even come to mind? Do you speak fondly of your work experience, or, as my dad did, describe your work as a “sweat shop?” As kids, we all too often hear our parents say “I have to go to work.” Imagine the sound of changing just one word in that statement…from “have” to “get.” I get to go to work. Remember, your kids are always listening. Don’t believe me? When talking about school, do they have to go to school, or, do they get to go to school? Do they have to read a book, or do they get to read a book? Think about it from the perspective of doing something you enjoy. If you’re an artist (professional or amateur) do you say “I have to create art” or “I get to create art?” Furthermore, does the individual that gets to do something do it better than the one who has to do something? Employers, do you think your companies would perform better with a battalion of workers who get to be there?
I know, many things in life are things we have to do. I have to get a colonoscopy. I have to go to the dentist. I have to do my taxes. Thankfully, these things are intermittent. We can’t say that about our work. Does being at work always have to be about “have?”
My hope for all of our kids is that they enjoy preparing themselves for a career and a company in which they get to participate. Think about how much more balanced their lives will be. Better health. More learning. Stronger relationships. Higher spirituality. Enjoyment and happiness. Being productive. As with most of you, I want more for my kids. I want more for society.
If you’re not happy that you have to go to work tomorrow, start the conversation with yourself. Write down what, if anything, you and/or your employer can do to change your “have” to “get.” Pro tip: Encourage your employer build a better and more engaged culture. An engaged culture begets higher performance, higher performance begets loyal and profitable customers, loyal and profitable customers begets a desired work-life balance, a desired work-life balance begets more for our kids. It’s time to capture your “get.” It’s time to dump your “have.”