For me, starting a new job has always reminded me of how I felt as a child, on the first day of school. There is the anticipation of a new adventure, the thrill of meeting new people, the little voice in my head that alternates between excitement and trepidation. Then there is starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic.
One of the lessons we are all learning during this time is that, while we didn’t choose this situation, we can choose how we respond to it and what we do while it is happening.
For all the history of humankind, the nature and shape of work has evolved, as curiosity and innovation have allowed us to develop tools and technologies that advance nearly all aspects of work and play. As machines are able to do more and more for us, we find ourselves wondering how the definition of work will evolve and what it means.
As business leaders, we’re motivated by a lot of emotions. Perhaps none more powerful than fear – fear of failure, fear of losing the respect of those who we respect, fear of – well, you name it. What I realize, more and more, is that we’re so busy taking action, we don’t take the time to explore what our fears are and how they influence the ways in which we work….
Rethink Robotics, a pioneer in the new category of collaborative robots, changed the way companies think about factory automation. And yet despite the best efforts of a hardworking team, last month, Rethink Robotics shuttered its doors.
As leaders, we need to deliver results. Certainly, they are as important now as ever. But I think we must aspire to more.
Work is essential to being human. Having a purpose is possibly the most important driver to get up every day. Why would I ever give that up?
Tarzan is a great metaphor for trusting our gut instinct. That’s what allowed him to trust his choices, accept the risk that it might not all go as hoped and to trade the safety of what he knew and go for it anyway.
We have to remember is that by our own design, the people we work with are smart, too. Engaging them in our vision, and harnessing their knowledge to make it succeed only gets us where we all are headed.
