About 400 years ago when I
first started working as a journalist,
I had the misfortune to
attend an ad rep meeting. You
know what it looks like when someone
goes from bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed to devastated in ten
seconds flat, don’t you? Well, the
pinprick to my balloon came when
the financial manager said that journalists
are a dime a dozen, but a
good ad rep . . . Ah, there’s the real
treasure.
The next job I had was doing a
computer company’s promotional
magazine. Here, of course, the fact
that the magazine will simply not
exist if somebody didn’t start selling
ad space pronto, finally sank in. So
this is how one finds out that you
can do something you never
thought you could; that you’d be
willing to take on any task that
forms part of the thing you passionately believe in.
Now fast-forward to the day a job-hunting
journalist phones The
Bronberger’s office. Job hunter has a
dream of one day having his own
rural community publication. Surely
we can provide him with a safe
salary in the meantime. Nope, he
cannot see how a writer could possibly
help to create his own salary
by selling ad space. I nearly found
myself explaining that journalists are
a dime a dozen, but a good ad
rep . . .
See, the familiar ways of working
aren’t working any more. Those
who merely sit somewhere, filling in
time from nine to five, without feeling
passionate about what they’re
doing, without letting this passion
drag them into uncharted territories
. . . well, let’s just say they’re going
the way the Dodo did.
As distressing as the ongoing economic
slump has been for everyone,
at least it is causing people to wake
up and demand more consciousness
and integrity in work. The lines
between one’s work, personal and
spiritual life are slowly being erased.
Nick Williams, author and international
speaker, is someone who has
a profoundly spiritual vision of
work. He is on a mission to help
people transform their passions into
profitable businesses. He believes
that one’s work should affirm,
nourish and express the strengths
and spirit within you and bridge the
gap between your spirituality and
your material world results.
Nick compiled a list of ten beliefs
that inspired entrepreneurs share.
First on that list is to always put purpose
before profit. Sure, you need
to ask money for what it is you’re
doing, but you should never forget
why you’re doing it.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve
noticed how more people than ever
want to find meaningful work that
does more than pay the bills,”
writes Aaron Ross in his article:
‘Could Business Be Your Path To
Personal Growth?’ He writes that
people are done with just making
money and buying more stuff. They
want to make a difference.
And it is precisely this need that one
of the world’s best-known maverick
businessmen, Ricardo Semler, CEO
of Semco, cashes in on. Some call
his approach anarchic socialism;
others call it cutting edge capitalism.
Semco, one of Brazil’s largest conglomerates,
started out as a family
business. Ricardo entered his
father’s business and transformed it
into a multi billion dollar business
empire by a startling approach to
the workplace.
Ricardo simply does not accept that
the old methods of doing things are
good enough in a rapidly changing
environment. He practices a leadership
philosophy of trusting in intuition,
not only his own but also the
intuition and innovation of his staff.
Ricardo believes that if one gives
employees freedom, they act more
responsibly. In his opinion control is
an illusion and any attempt to
impose rigid control inhibits innovation
and accountability. It is when
leaders choose power over productivity
that worker motivation and
capacity is destroyed.
According to Nick Williams it is time
for employers and employees to
release all the erroneous ideas,
beliefs and attitudes they’ve inherited
about work and business. He
says that when you unify your work
and passion you unleash the brilliance
within you.
You are here to make the kind of
contribution only you can. The
world needs you, now more than
ever, to show up with your greatness. |