“You
should not have to choose between making a living and making a difference!”
Very wise words from young entrepreneur and philanthropist, Jess Ekstrom,
founder of Headbands for Hope. This week I had the opportunity to hear Jess
share those wise during the 2017 Leadercast event held live in Atlanta, GA but
broadcast all over the world. It got me thinking out loud about how we could
combine work and meaning more intentionally.
I
think it is fascinating how two people doing essentially the same job can view
their work so differently. Pastor and author Andy Stanley (the Leadercast
opener for several years in a row now) shares a story about two homebuilders.
One found little value in his work. He was just building structures that
essentially kept people out of the rain and his focus was on all the negatives
associated with the work such as staffing issues, client complaints, dealing
with subcontractors, etc. As a result, his success was minimal because he was
just building a house.
Another
homebuilder, however, had an entirely different view. He helped the buyers
envision a stairwell that would be the photo spot for the home come prom season
and there would be spaces for entertaining friends and family during holidays
and other special occasions. In other words, he saw his role as building a “home” where memories of a
lifetime will be made. Who would you rather use? Of course, you would want to
have your home built by the builder who saw value in his work which is why he
was successful! Their problems were the same, their challenges were the same,
but the difference is that one builder just stopped there but the other took
the leap to the OPPORTUNITIES presented!
I have
been blessed to be in professions where I truly believe in the value of what I
am doing. I am not saying everyday was perfect that I never became frustrated,
but what I am stressing is that when I focused on the OPPORTUNITIES and MEANING
of the work versus just the problems, that provided me the strength and
resilience to get past the tough times.
So,
what do you do if you are in a role or place in your life where your job was
just an END versus something of value or meaning?
Find the VALUE in what you do –
every job has importance. The trick is to remember why you got in what you do
in the first place!
Focus on the SOLUTIONS you provide –
Your current job helps solves problems for someone at some time. Never lose
sight of that. According to Jess, when you create solutions for others, you
discover the value of your work!
Define your WORK versus the other way
around – like the example of the two homebuilders above, YOU
should define your work and not have your work define you! I recently met an
individual who was clearly working above and beyond his job description. He
would personally offer support and solutions to those in the organization on
countless occasions. As a result, he was universally lauded by other members of
the organization for his commitment and character. When I told him this, he
seemed to be surprised by this. In his mind, he was just trying to do his job
to the best of ability never knowing of the respect he had so deservedly
earned!
You should not have to choose between making a living and making a difference! - Jess Ekstrom
The
point of all of this is to LIVE and LEAD with PURPOSE. The point of Purpose according
to Cheryl Bachelder, CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, is to determine how you
will serve others. If you don’t plan to serve others then you don’t need a
purpose! So, if you are still in a role where the point and purpose of it is
still allusive, then pursue what will provide meaning to you. This
will take courageous curiosity to pursue a new role or even an entirely new
career path but the rewards will be worth it! Otherwise, you will always be
asking yourself – what if?
To
reflect further on the impactful statement of Jess Ekstrom that started this
week’s blog, our work and purpose should NOT be mutually exclusive. Like Jess
who built a career on designing and producing cool headbands for girls and
women who lost their hair due to cancer treatments thus; restored their
self-image, find a PROBLEM to SOLVE and a PURPOSE to FULFILL! Once you
understand your IMPACT, EVERYTHING changes!
As always if I can help you and the
people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite
you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the training or
coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! In fact, I am launching a
new SPEAK FOR IMPACT training
program that will help both novice and experienced leaders find their platform and increase their communication skills!
Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will
send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your
organization! Such an initiative would be critical to add value to your
organization!
Yours in Leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant –
Out Loud Strategies
Independent Coach,
Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
For more information on
the John Maxwell Team, please visit
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