A few minutes ago I finished the facilitation session and now will have about 20 minutes to write, leaving me about 20 minutes to get ready for an awards night, which means showering and ironing a shirt etcetera for the evening. Due to the time constraints, this might be the shortest post I have written in a while.
The session itself went really well and the Sales leader I was working with did a great job delivering his part, as well as keeping the people active. The group I had was a reminder of how good the majority of the people I work with are, as while we spent a lot of time laughing, it was done concurrently with getting a lot of actionable planning work done to take forward into 2023. While tiring, it was also pretty awesome to be involved at this level and hopefully, I will get to do more of it in the future.
It is funny how much impact good colleagues have on professional experience and how even if the work is difficult or often not enjoyable (mine is okay), the people make up for it. On the reverse side, no matter how great a job might be, if the people suck, most will not be able to stick around for long. We have a lot of people who have been with the company for a long time and are still engaged, still looking to improve themselves and conditions.
There will be no awards for me on offer tonight, as I am not quota carrying (thankfully), but I like seeing people get the recognition they deserve for what can be difficult and often stressful work. It is also nice that for some of these people, I am part of their journey toward success in the past and likely in some way in the future too. That has personal value for me.
We all get different things out of our professional experience and while the income is obviously important, it is rarely enough to alone, it has to come with other values. Being part of other's success is important for me, but also being able to establish myself as a reliable professional that delivers what I say I will is important. Trust is something that is often missing in the professional landscape these days and I think it gets eroded further through remote working and the "me, me" approach to work, where the only commitment is to oneself -screw anyone else.
While obviously we also have to look out for "number one", it doesn't mean we have to maximize every opportunity no matter the cost to others, we can still help each other out. And most likely, when we do support each other within an organization, there is likely to be higher velocity and a greater success rate than if we work alone and undercut each other.
I think this is the case in personal life too.
I think the family has been eroded over the last decades also, where rather than winning together, there is more individualism and competition within a group of people who used to have the best interests of the group at heart. Now, it is all isolated activity and I think that this is one of the reasons that there is also a breakdown of emotional stability, with more loneliness and depression developing in society.
In ten years from now, if the company I work for stays on the same trajectory, I am likely to keep on working here - not because of the monetary reward, but because throughout the four years I have been employed, the culture has improved even further, and it was already considered one of the best places to work. Why leave?
Money isn't enough.
Time to iron!
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
After a certain dollar amount, people start to realize his or her boss and colleagues are the secret ingredients. More money is nice but people will not give up good work environment easily.
For sure - a great work environment is very hard to leave, which is why our retention of staff is pretty decent!
So good stretch! It says stretched, right?
I agree with you that money is not enough and teamwork is always important and helps to achieve great goals; a single person will never be able to reach the same goals as a well-prepared and close-knit team.
The same goes for the family; Reny and I are a very close-knit team and I believe that there is no other way than to experience the family together, cooperating and seeking success in life...but a team success!
Stretched? (I might be tired :D )
The family team is something I am hoping to rebuild in my own. It has been a pretty heavy period of years and I think a new approach is required.
I totally understand what you are saying about the money not being everything. I don't get paid as much as I could at my job, but the pace and stress level makes it totally worth it to stay. I wouldn't trade that for anything. It sounds like you get to be home soon. That is always a good thing!
What are your colleagues like? I always wonder from the US, as it seems that people are not quite as "close knit" professionally, but that might be the wrong impression.
Heading home tomorrow!
Most of them immediately are okay. I'm probably closer with the people from other districts who do the same job as me. In my building there are some people who drive me nuts. It's pretty rare we do things socially.
Would you enjoy it more if there was more social activity?
Eh, I don't know. Probably not. I suck at social situations and small talk. They do things occasionally, but my wife and I would rather be home together or with our friends and family.
I don't think that leaving a job after years would be sensible, if not compulsory. Learning a new work process, building a new relationship with new colleagues would not be easy after a certain age.
The other thing is, if I choose and play my cards right, I have the possibility to grow into other roles too, though I am not yet settled on whether I want that.
This post is truly light as a feather, beautiful vibe. I agree completely, people can make or destroy an experience and if we have good people around, even the most tedious work can be fun and enriching. Rebuilding lost trust and supporting new, growing pockets for trust and joy may be difficult, but it's always wonderful. You're completely right, money isn't even close to enough!
I feel at times that the journey to rebuild can make a relationship stronger than it was earlier too - so perhaps if people are open and willing, connections can deepen.
You're right. It's like training a muscle, we have to traumatize it in small degrees, then it rebuilds stronger.
the best place is with good collegues, good culture and good money :)
but yea money is not all in work for sure
I won't turn down the money, but it isn't enough alone to keep me engaged. :)
Interesting, I am only seen myself where I work for another 4-5 years, if nothing extrewme happens.
It depends on what happens with crypto too - but even if it all goes well, if I enjoy working, I will :)
In my terms, "effort will never betray results."
The more difficult a job is and it is completed with full responsibility, the more recognition will come naturally over time, without the need to be asked.
About trust, you are absolutely right. Momentary and individualistic interests are increasingly eroding large groups, which should be oriented toward empowering everyone involved and succeeding together.
Even though it is common knowledge that working with other people will lighten the burden and increase the results obtained, The result is not about money, but about success and happiness. Because happiness cannot be bought, especially if you lose trust.
Have a nice day.
Do you work with a close group of people or are is it more isolated there?
Yes, I do.
I work intensely in a small, solid team, and I also have to manage several other people in a bigger team.
Several times I found that some people were impatient with the time and process they had to go through, so they were "tempted" to do some small cheating. Their cheating undermines the sense of togetherness and eventually raises suspicion and a loss of openness toward one another. I have decided to take out those in trouble to save our entire team.
Do you have any advice for me in such cases?
Being surrounded by competent people who also know how to support each other in the work environment is priceless. Money is not everything, as you said.
And I agree that the same goes for personal relationships. In my case, I see that the family has eroded in recent times. Some have left the country. And it is no longer the same. Everyone is more individualistic with time or with their closest family nucleus. And if I am honest, I miss the old times of the large family that always looked for any excuse to get together and to be there for each other.
And well, I agree that the more isolated a person is, the more open road there is for depression and lack of emotional stability.
I hope you'll have a great evening :)
In my "personality profile", I supposedly value competence a great deal and I think this is something that is at a high level in this organization. I might not be one of the examples though :)
I miss the large and extended family arrangements too. Everyone is so far apart from each other, in every way that matters.
Reminds me of the Law of Environment. If I find that I can actually thrive and be better in my current workplace, why would I leave??? Lol
Exactly. Growth environments develop upward movement, as well as deepening roots.
being happy at work is great, very nice writing for 20 minutes, this is a skill I lack for certain. & indeed money is not everything
It might have been 25 for this one :D
Sounds like it went very well.
This is actually the perfect length and to the point 😂
:D
I should try and be more succinct in the future ;)
If you are working for a company with a good culture and decent colleagues, you should definitely stay. Sometimes people change jobs for a higher salary, but don't factor in the immense culture shock of joining a new company.
Glad you enjoyed your work do - it gives you a new perspective when you take a trip to somewhere different and get a chance to meet people/colleagues you wouldn't normally interact with, doesn't it?
I have talked to quite a few people recently who have taken a pay cut for a better culture and their own wellbeing.
Interesting photo. At first it appeared to be some kind of insect.
Yeah. It is a big bowl :D
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Great that you have a great place to work :) I think the people really do make all the difference. I can and have tolerated crappy upper management (as long as I didn't have to listen to them or deal with them for longer than 10mins) purely because the colleagues were great. And been really lucky that I haven't had to deal with the reverse x_x
I remember J explaining to a friend of his who thought he was obsessed with money that he didn't like money, he just didn't like not having it, and he has turned down numerous jobs that would have given an appreciable pay bump because they wouldn't let him work from home or mandated vaccination, and according to him we're too old to care about chasing money and lifestyle is much more important now or something to that effect XD
Especially when I worked as a teacher, it definitely was not about the money. I truly loved building new relationships with students year after year and watching as they acquired knowledge and developed as humans. The happy hours with colleagues also went a long to helping ease the sacrifices I made in other parts of my life to work on that profession.