Values, Vision & Entrepreneurial Leadership: Lesson Three
“I Can See Clearly Now:” Thinking of Work as a Calling
We’ve thought about how effective leaders establish a framework of possibility and that transparency is one of the most significant forces of change in our lifetime and as a result will and should impact a leader’s values. So that’s the context in which we operate… the pieces that are outside our control. Today, we start to think about what is in our control. Sort of.
Having spent the last 3 decades in the corridors of some of the best known companies around, I’d be shocked if I were in a talent management meeting and someone said, “this is the right person for the job because this job is her calling.” What? In most business environments, no one thinks of work as a “calling.” But, at the root of things for the entrepreneur — and for the leader — is a strong sense of purpose, a rabid commitment to an idea, the desire to prove the idea at any cost…what would we call that if it weren’t in the context of business? For some it is purpose. For some the word “calling” might be more precise. A purpose has a forward-looking connotation, I think. But a calling, as in “what are you called to do?” speaks a little more to something that might already be inside us.
In a church context, a “calling” is clear. It’s also natural when it comes to the arts — painters and poets and actors and musicians often feel called. But why does it stop there? Aren’t entrepreneurs really “called” too? In the context of business we don’t often embrace and understand a “calling” in the spiritual sense — but we can. So let’s apply that to the rest of our lives, to our organizations, our places of work and really, like all other callings, think of it as our life’s work.
Inside each of us there is probably something that comes more naturally to us than other things. As children, there are subjects in school we like and others we don’t. Sometimes we love them. Or we love a particular sport. Sometimes we spend our careers trying to figure out what that it. Sometimes we stumble upon it. Sometimes it unfolds. But you can do some things to help uncover it.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to try to understand the meaning in our life’s work or articulate our calling. It seems so big and overwhelming; it seems like such an important thing, and for many people, it seems confusing that you could be unsatisfied with the way your life is going and not have to actually search for your calling. In my experience, people often either overthink it or they don’t break it into pieces. The first step is to understand what it is and be able to articulate it. Later, you can decide if there is a business idea there. I might love to listen to my friends and help them work through their problems but I might not have a business idea (get) that would allow me to get paid to do that. That said, if I knew that’s what I loved most I’d have a much better shot at figuring out how to get paid for it.
So, to get started.
- Make a list of the best ideas you ever had (the ones you’re most proud of).
- Write about your best day, the one that was great even though you spent it at work.
- What were your favorite classes in school? The ones you loved for the material (many of us loved something because of a particular teacher ut we’re looking for something else here).
- What are you get complimented for? Your great dinner parties? The cards you send that re “just perfect?” The creative birthday cakes you make? The precision of your handwriting?
- Think of the energy you feel from a great idea. Or a best day. What was happening? Do an inventory to try to see patterns.
- If you had a free weekend with no responsibilities and could do whatever you wanted, what would that be? Do you love lying in? Consider a career in linens (I’m not kidding!). Do you love cleaning and organizing on a rainy afternoon?
The answers to all these questions are clues and everyone is equally valuable. Sometimes if you make a list of these things you will begin to identify how you really like to spend your time, which is indeed your most precious resource. That is the biggest clue of all.
Our calling is usually right in front of our noses but sometimes we just look too hard or expect it to be something completely different or new, some great unveiling, rather than really just understanding what we’re inclined to, what we’re good at and what gives us joy.
Having some idea of our calling — our purpose — the “why” in The Golden Circle, is critical in strong organizations. Why? Because it provides the foundation for your vision. If you think about what it is you feel almost called to do, it will be a lot easier to see what values it will take to get you there and what vision you can articulate to share it with others. It starts with you, the leader, the person.
Whether you are the leader of a big company or just the leader of your own life, you should still take the time to think about what you most want to do. Recently, I’ve spoken to a lot of new graduates — from high school, college or business school — who are just starting out. They want to get together to talk about finding a job. When I ask them what they are interested in and they say, “well I don’t really know,” it’s a whole lot harder to help them. Do you like food? Maybe a restaurant. Do you like hard manual labor? Maybe construction. Do you like numbers and spreadsheets? Maybe accounting or finance. Do you have a talent for making people feel better? What about counseling or social work?
Even if you don’t get your dream job on day one (and you probably won’t), being in around things you like or an environment in which there are jobs that use the skills you like to use is a very good start. The harsh reality is we all have to get jobs and they aren’t always pleasant. But they can be, and they have a better shot if you are doing something that is connected to what you think you are called to do.
My cousin used to say, “if it wasn’t work and if you liked it all the time they wouldn’t have to pay you to do it.” That’s so true. I spend days and weeks on efforts related to the charity I helped create. And I don’t get paid. And it’s a whole lot of work. When the work really sings, when it really fits what you want to do in your soul, when it brings out you at your best… well, that’s our calling. You’ll do it without pay. I also happen to feel that way about work I do get paid for. Because I know what matters most for me.
When you feel like Johnny Nash singing, “I Can See Clearly Now,” you know you’re onto something.
___________________________________________________________________
This is the third lesson in a series of nine by Jane Melvin, the founder and president of Strategic Innovations Group, Inc., a strategy and creativity consulting practice. These lessons grew from content she originally created for an online course in an MBA program.
Please follow us on Medium.com and please be sure to like our page on Facebook: Strategic Innovations Group, Inc. (https://www.facebook.com/Strategic-Innovations-Group-Inc-191757164183793/)
You can also find Jane on Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Jane-Melvin-3
If you liked this article, please consider clicking on the green heart and we’ll be inspired to share more insights and ideas that can help you live your big life.
