Author: Mona Klare

We work to live and we live to work… stop it. 

Holy shit,

calls someone running to work. In passing he sees me, an acquaintance. He throws his hand up, greeting at the double: “Sorry, no time”. He still had to buy presents, and they should really ‘do something here’. After all, they are the reward for all the work throughout the year. The whole “nerve.”

“you know: everything must be super,” he says, “it must be!”

In the time just before Christmas, everything seems to revolve around deadlines: closing hours, baking times, christmas cards…

Will we still make it for a coffee this year?”

What a question! Personally, there seem to be more people under stress than usual. In the subway, on the street, at work. Many call in sick. Does everyone really have the flu? Or does Christmas have something to do with it? Or another year that is already coming to an end?

ASK yourself: WHAT WAS GOOD IN your 2019?

… in the job, privately, in life. Very few people really have time for that. Or they don’t take it. There is always a lot to do. Too much stress. Everywhere.

Those who manage to pause, to stop, to reflect again on the year, sometimes come to the point of wondering whether it has already been done. And whether it should simply go on like this. Or:

Is there perhaps something else that lies dormant in me…

Why am I doing what I’m doing? Does my work make sense?” Such questions can be frightening. They question your chosen life. And sometimes an infinite number of To Do‘s are a welcome reason not to worry about that very question. Does that resonate with you?

I CAN REASSURE: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

This is not – as is widely the case – the ‘problem’ of a generation. From my experience I can say that people of all ages question their professional activities more and more often and especially earlier. With the growing #digitalization, the human being is no longer just an executive force standing on an assembly line. We remember what it was like to deal with things that really mattered to us and fulfilled us and brought us to the ‘flow’.

That alone sounds great at first, but at the same time it presents us with a big challenge.

Because the question that arises is: “What do I really, really want to do? (Frithjof Bergmann). Bergmann already asked himself this question in the 70s and developed the idea of #NewWork from it.

DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT?

More and more often I meet clients in coaching who are looking for the above mentioned meaningfulness. It is a very personal and individual question and probably the most difficult to answer. It is the beginning of a new path.

I’ve seen coachees who couldn’t find any real meaning in their work, who were passionately dissatisfied. The reasons are manifold. Nevertheless, these people often stay with the company and begin to adopt a “must do” attitude. Others carry their knowledge into the team as a basis for discussion. “Do my colleagues perhaps have the same question?”

THE MEANINGFULNESS OF WORK

The example of a client showed me how serious the ambiguity about the meaningfulness of a work can be:

She worked as a management consultant – successful, well-earning and constantly on the move. From the outside, everything looked like an enviable life. But: Too many evenings she sat crying in her hotel room. She knew something had to change. She came to me for coaching. And decided to stop all her travelling and work only from where she lived. Her employers joined in. The solution seemed to be found. What happened?

Nothing.

Too many evenings she found herself sitting on the sofa, crying – now at home. And that, although she now saw her friends more often and enjoyed more private life. It wasn’t about travelling, but about the kind of work itself. A realization that needed time, that was hard. And which does not deserve a one-fits-all solution.

She quit her job and started to change: She travels. She learns. She tries things out. She is looking for her best way. And she will continue to do so.

This is truly no invitation to throw everything away as soon as the job is no longer fulfilling and makes you unhappy. Unfortunately the happy end is not guaranteed in real life. Yes, absolutely: There is a risk. And:

IF THE END IS OPEN, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

This is rather an encouragement to question whether it’s really about earning more money for more things we can’t enjoy because we don’t have time. Or about feeling what we get up for in the morning, whether this is our best way and whether it should continue like this for the next 5, 10, 30 years.

THE QUESTION OF MEANING IS ALSO DECISIVE FOR COMPANIES:

Why are we here? What do we stand for? What is our offer to the world? Do we serve needs that we first have to create artificially? Do we have a way of working and a culture , which is accepted and appreciated by everyone? How do we manage to get the best out of our employees, not only for our figures, but also for the people themselves, who more and more often are not only doing their 100% job for money alone. Do we and they know the meaning of our company?

THIS IS WHERE NEW WORK COMES IN – IT CREATES A BASIS.

New work creates a basis for open discussions and exchange “above and below”. Because it is not only about agile, new tools or methods (which serve the implementation, but do not change the attitude). Also it is not only about the new role as leader but also about the fundamental rethinking of companies. It is a question of the attitude and the change of ways of thinking. Why do we do what we do? What is our offer to the world? The goal is to develop a corporate culture in which employees can unfold, actually contribute their strengths, and contribute powerfully to making the company strong for the future. Because they see a real sense in it. Because the company makes sense.

Important: There is not one way that suits everyone. I would be happy to accompany you and your company in finding yours.

A personal recommendation from me:
If you want to learn more about #NewWork, I highly recommend the book #ReinventingOrganizations by #FredericLaloux.

One of the most inspiring books in my 2019.
Merry Christmas.

#meaningful #sense
#corporateculture #rethinking
#attitude #NewWork #leader

Image: shutterstock_1522909748
Image: shutterstock_1522909748