Today Dr. Rob features author, Tracy Brower, who was the presenter last week at Rob Pasick’s Leaders Connect Breakfast at Zingerman’s Roadhouse (sponsored by Zingerman’s and Bank of Ann Arbor). At a time when American workers are stressed by the increasingly impossible demands of their employees, Dr. Brower’s message is about how creating a supportive and humane work environment is good for business. This is essential reading for our leaders to consider.Dr. Rob Dr. Tracy Brower is the author of Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work: A Guide for Leaders and Organizations which focuses on work-life abundance and fulfillment. Professionally, she is the global vice president of workplace vitality for Mars Drinks.
“…When I wrote “Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work,” I was living the dream. I was wife, mother, student, working professional, and participant in my community – all of that and more. It was a full life. It still is. But it didn’t lend itself to the limited containers of ‘work’ and ‘life’. Balancing work-life connotes a zero-sum game where we’re always in that precarious spot of trying to find the equilibrium between two sides of a scale. It’s really more about living fully and not having to make trade-offs at all.
So how do we bring work to life? I don’t have it all figured out, of course, but here are some of my ideas:
Bringing Work to Life is Perspective – There is no such thing as meaningful work – the perfect conditions from which we can simply take fulfillment. Meaning is ours to create. Let’s assume that we can have it all and that we can take ownership for making meaning no matter what kind of work we do.
Bringing Work to Life is Purpose – We all want to build cathedrals, not just lay bricks. Let’s think of our work and how it ladders up to something important. The heating and cooling company isn’t just installing air conditioners or fixing furnaces, but creating warmth and comfort for families. Or the person on the manufacturing line, making the screw which goes into the mechanism which goes into crank which goes into the hospital bed which is used to regularly turn patients so they don’t get bedsores or gangrene. Now that’s purpose. All work has dignity and connecting to this broader purpose contributes to a sense of fulfillment.
Bringing Work to Life is Passion – Finding fulfillment involves living our passion and doing what we love. Figuring out what we should do can feel big and overwhelming, but really it’s just determining what we’re good at and doing that. We serve the world by doing what we like to do, and by being our best selves.
Bringing Work to Life is People – Fulfillment comes from feeling connected with people and knowing how our work serves others and matters to others. It’s not enough to simply serve some esoteric corporate mission statement. What we do has to matter to people and our community. Statistically, those who serve others are happier and more fulfilled. Find a way to have your gifts serve others – focus on how you give, serve, and contribute.
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is today. Bring work to life by taking action now and planting trees. Challenge your perspective. Focus on the bigger picture of your purpose. Follow your passion. Serve people. Plant some trees!” – Tracy
I’m interested in your thoughts on the idea of work-life balance. Respond on this blog or email me at rob@leadersconnect.com. Here is the link to Tracy’s talk last week (begin at 24:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBPpXq2XktQ
Dr. Rob