The Future of Work has become the catch-all phrase to cover flexibility, open office, team dynamics, culture, and other topics that people care about this important aspect of our lives. We look at/for what other companies and countries have done to make work better, and we hope our company, team, leader will implement some of these practices one day.
Flexible Work Arrangement, 4-day workweek, Hybrid environment have been on people’s mind a long time and it took a pandemic to force all companies to experiment it. How they evolve remain to be seen – in the Future.
Why don’t we talk more about the PRESENT of Work?
PRESENT as SHOWCASE
It’s an Opportunity to showcase your talent and make an impact. We can all enjoy relaxation and entertainment but it’s meaningful work and relationships that help us connect to our purpose and add value. Changes and Challenges are features, not bugs of our path to grow and realize our full potential.
There is a common pattern in every successful movie – the Hero’s journey. We are the main characters of our own movie and how we tell our stories (to ourselves and others) can lead to how the story unfolds. To present as a chef is to share your take on a dish that may be textbook but with your twist to it. We will make our own stories on our own terms.
PRESENT as a GIFT
The Gift (of work) was given to you at some point. Someone took a chance on you so you could start performing on this stage. This is not to discount all the efforts you took to get to this point, there are just way to many people smarter and more dedicated than us. Thank everyone who directly or indirectly help you get to where you are today. Your parents, teachers, mentors, colleagues, children all offered you their gifts.
And here you are.
Like we receive feedback as a gift, what you do with it is entirely up to you. The reality is we are all volunteers – there are infinite ways to make a living so by accepting the status quo, we all made a choice to be here. While it’s ok to be not ok with everything at work, to not accept the current situation and not do anything about it can make someone miserable.
You may also be in a position to offer the Gift to someone else. It is not a zero-sum game. The best Work/Opportunity may indeed be one where you can create positive impacts AND meaningful work for others at the same time.
PRESENT as NOW
You can start at this moment, without waiting for someone or something to happen. Build new relationships and protocols that help you, your team and your manager to be productive and effective, in ways relevant to your situation. You don’t need best practices and researches from other companies or leaders to justify making small changes that can improve your work and relationships. In fact, each solution comes with its nuance and yours will be unique.
Don’t wait for permission to things better. Don’t wait for the Future to come by itself. It won’t. The very act of starting a conversation at your workplace maybe the small but most important step to start a movement.
The Ultimate Present of Work: SHOWCASE Your GIFT NOW!
