More than two weeks into the
quarantine and apparently four more to go. One of the biggest challenges for me
as a leader has been keeping our office team connected to one another. That
means not just keeping track of the day-to-day tasks for each team member but
also keeping them together on a human level and connecting to our company’s
higher mission. On a normal day, it’s easy to get lost in the tedium of daily
tasks, and now, for those who remain healthy, we are focusing on hand-washing, keeping
the pantry stocked and juggling work and kids. As the days wear on, we risk
becoming prisoners to the mundane tasks and slipping into the dullness of just
getting by. That’s dangerous. Mission and purpose and dreams keep us motivated
and moving forward. And passion and enthusiasm for those dreams will be
necessary once we are faced with rebuilding our world in a post-quarantine
society.
Here, a blog from a while back about avoiding the “stuckness” of the mundane. I thought it an important message for the moment.
Today was one of those days spent
more on the tedium of the job than the joys. Some days are like that. That’s
why taking a few moments each day to connect with the passion that fuels you is
so important. I rediscovered one of my earliest blogs that talks about this and
thought it was worth a reshare.
I went for a walk today with one
of the more junior people on my staff. It’s a ritual that I started
recently—taking a midday walk and “dragging” a member of the team along with
me. It gets me away from my desk for a little bit…allows me to enjoy some much
needed sunshine and fresh air…and gives me time to connect with team members in
an informal way. When my children were younger, I spent a great deal of time
hiking with them, and I learned to greatly appreciate the magical connection
and sharing that occurs when out walking.
And so today, “Debbie” and I went
for a walk. We talked about our mentors and the best advice we received from
them. And then Debbie asked me how I stay motivated on a daily basis in the
midst of the day-to- day work grind. That answer was easy. I connect with our
customers and the mission of what we are doing—in our case, helping people live
more powerful and informed lives. I hate hearing stories about people being
victims when there are simple things they can do to be more in control of their
lives. They just need to know what to do and have the courage to do it.
As my role has changed throughout
my career, I have noted which moments in the day energize me and which ones
virtually suck the life out of me. At different levels in the organization,
elation is achieved by different things—a budget reconciliation that
balanced…weekly inventory that also balanced…a marketing test that was properly
executed—and won…a presentation that was well-received…or even new business
connections that were made. The list goes on, and it is different for
everybody.
But even with those successes, it
is easy to get lost in just “moving the pile of papers from the left side of
the desk to the right side”—in other words, drowning in the mundane tasks of
the job. We all have them. I remember my sister telling the story of meeting
the president of the highly respected publishing company where she worked who
had a sadness about him because he spent most of his day managing the business
and the shareholders rather than creating books, which was his true love.
On most days I have between four and six meetings—sometimes more…and rarely fewer. Most of these meetings are focused on governance and keeping all of the corporate balls in the air. They’re crucial and inspiring, but in truth, they also can be draining because these meetings are a step away from touching and feeling our mission as we are able to do in editorial story meetings or when speaking with our customers. When I hosted my radio show (Bottom Line on Your Health, 2010–2012), my entire body would change as I got totally engulfed in the discussions. After two hours of tough interviews, I would have more energy than when I started because I connected with the passion that drives me.
The beauty of getting older is
that you become far more aware of how you want to spend your time…
When talking with Debbie, I
realized the beauty of getting older is that you become far more aware of how
you want to spend your time and how you need to spend your time. For me, it’s
doing at least one thing every day that actively advances our mission. It could
be working with our editorial team on our content…mentoring a member of the
team…or my most favorite thing—talking to our customers.
The Bottom Line? Find a few moments in every day to spend time on the piece of the job that gets your juices flowing. Don’t worry if it is not the “task at hand.” Reconnecting with your passion will move you through any momentary grind and into greatness.
Sarah Hiner, president and CEO of Bottom Line Inc., is passionate about giving people the tools and knowledge they need to be in control of their lives in areas such as living a healthier life, the challenges of the health-care system, commonsense financial advice and creating great relationships. She appears often on national radio and hosts the Bottom Line Advocator Podcast, where she interviews leading experts to help people be their own best advocates in all areas of life.