What would you say that was?
In the 16th century Michel de Montaigne wrote that “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to be yourself.” That is as efficient a summary of what matters in life as any, and perhaps a good pointer to what is wrong in the business world today.
It would be interesting to conduct a poll of how well most people know themselves, but if the hopefuls auditioning for X Factor or Pop Idol and the like are anything to go by there are vast hordes who have no concept of themselves or the boundaries of their talents. The discrepancy between capability and aspiration is sometimes so vast one has to question whether people are totally delusional or have simply moved beyond “the lives of quiet desperation” that Thoreau described to the point they see themselves as prisoners in their own lives, and so are prepared to do anything to win the lottery that will deliver fame and fortune and hence ‘escape.’
Perhaps the disengaged employees of the modern workforce are a symptom of this. Why, when we in the western world live lives of greater prosperity than any generation in history, are we so dissatisfied? Maybe it is because in this whole struggle to get work-life balance we fail to recognise the vital and integral part work plays in our lives. Consequently we accept the need to spend the greater part of our lives at work, but only in order to earn enough to do what we really want to do. So we end up with a sort of schizophrenia, spending all our time at work wishing we were elsewhere, living another totally different life.
The more I reflect on these issues the more respect I develop for Alex Kjerulf and his efforts to create happiness in the workplace. He is certainly attempting to solve a very real problem. However, this is a two way process, requiring both individual and organisational change. Nothing will happen if each waits for the other to take the initiative.
One way to break this stalemate is perhaps to ask what is the single most important change required in the workplace to make you feel better about going to work and what you do. From personal experience I think one of the greatest deficiencies in the modern workplace is the lack of appreciation. All too often we adopt an attitude of, 'That’s their job; they are paid to do it' and consequently we take them for granted, forgetting that “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” Thus my own submission for what might be the greatest thing in the world is quite simply the words, “Thank you!”
What do you think it is? If we collate all answers, even if not enough to answer the question what is the greatest thing in the world, it may be enough to at least make a difference!
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