The Journey Is The Reward: How To Find Fulfillment Through Collaboration
“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The journey is the reward” is a very popular and meaningful quote attributed to Laozi (also Romanized as Lao Tzu) and can be traced back to 6th century BC. It is one my favorite quotes because it’s interpretation is completely dependent on the individual (and what he/she is internalizing). Have I arrived at my destination? Is my journey underway? Have I even started my journey yet??!! While these are very inward facing questions, and ones that you can only answer just know everything is part of a process and you will always end up arriving at your ultimate destination. Never losing site of these three principles will help any journey that you embark on.
Tethering To Your North Star (And Staying True): Companies, job responsibilities and even us an individuals will always evolve (and that is why “the journey” is so exciting!!) but what make us…well us should always stay true. “The Ninth Wave” is a timeless painting because it shows both the destructive and beauty of the same situation. Ivan Aivazovsky may have used warm tones to reduce the sea’s threating overtones and to possibly portray a successful outcome. What lies ahead however is more waves, more adversity all of which will require more perseverance from this group to be successful. What do you look to as a North Star during adversity?
To me it is has always been communicating openly. Good, bad, critical or routine communication should be common place in any functional organization. Feeling empowered to reach out and communicate with any stakeholder at your company (or with external partners), be it junior or senior level wise is the sign of a connected and cohesive workplace. Understanding why you are emailing and what cascading effects one email / slack message can trigger must always be considered, but never approach communication as “this person is too senior for me to approach” or “this is bad news for the company let me see if I can fix it first”. Providing updates, solutions at critical junctures will help you on your journey as a trusted colleague.
Being A Helping Hand (And Never Wanting In Exchange): The great benefit of being in an office environment is its diversity. No two offices are alike and while there is no exact breakout of an office’s labor force that can be used as a baseline here, the modern office should be inclusive to all. In times of great upheaval, uncertainty and change (or impending change) being a helping hand is critical. Maybe a co-worker is going through a life-change that you have also gone through and you can now provide guidance for. Maybe it is someone who is struggling with new work responsibilities and you can lend that person a hand in their onboarding. Maybe it is someone who is filled with self-doubt and you can step in to be a sounding board. There will be revenue declines, clinical trial failures and un-successful product launches every day that will lead towards stress for both company and its workforce. These are temporary and should always be judged against in the aggregate. With these dynamics in play how can you help? A small gesture such as “hey, lets catch up as I think I can help” can go a long way on this journey.
Traveling The Journey (Together): “The Traveling Companions” show two people not paying attention to the tranquil coastline of Menton in the background. This painting portrays such curiosity as to why? The French Rivera is spectacular (I have been very fortunate to see it first person…its a must see). Maybe the companions have taken this trip many times and are now un-fazed by the view, or maybe it is that they are exhausted from their travels and now are occupying themselves with other matters (sleep and learning). What is also important about this painting is this was Augustus Leopold Egg’s last painting of his life. The deep meaning of this painting was it was a direct parallel to his own travels. He frequently traveled to Southern France throughout his life due to his battle with asthma. As you can see from this example is that everyone’s journey (as reason for it) is different. I believe that more importantly then the end destination is the intersection of meeting great people along the way.
There is not straight line to your destination. I have been fortunate to be colleagues with truly incredible people. Individuals that have started off in a completely different profession and ultimately end up somewhere else along their journey. Their positive impact however always remains the same. One former colleague that I always lean on for advice started her career as a Registered Nurse and now leads Medical Operations at one of the most innovative companies in the world. The arch of this journey however has always been the same….helping people. Staying true to that North Star is something that should be followed even as that person evolves.
I recently connected with another former colleague and this person is thriving in her current role. She is a brilliant but more so than that she is an incredible mentor. In this specific organization teaching and fostering a cohesive team dynamic are more important than individual accomplishments. However ending up at this specific stop was a winding road for her. Similar questions where ask to her as I have asked myself? How do I blend my passion with my experience and background? Maybe you are a builder, an inventor, or someone who can take a blank sheet of paper and make it something incredible in a short amount of time. Every role in every industry is a puzzle. How can your drug, chip, or product standout more so than the rest?
What is always fascinating about this puzzle is the onset of that journey. Sir Alexander Fleming did not set out to make the world’s first antibotic, Sir James Dyson took over 5,000 tries to make a working vacuum and in 2001 The Segway was suppose to “sweep over the world and change lives, cities and ways of thinking” (Steve Kemper). These are all journeys, some happened by accident, some take a long time to complete and some have radically different outcomes than originally anticipated. However all these inventors had mentors and amazing colleagues who helped them all along the way. The journey is unpredictable but filled with little moments that you will remember.
I, like you am excited to embark on the next journey….whenever that beckons. Are you making the same impact as you did before? Are the dynamics around you changing? In your specific life-stage how can you change the department, company, industry for the better today…and tomorrow? These are all questions you might have and that is why collaboration is so critical. Having a great network of people, all with diverse backgrounds and life experiences can really help you during this process. I can assure you that maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday you will arrive at your correct destination. Until that time enjoy the people and the moments along the way.