Labor vs. Contribution . Management vs. Leadership

Today, more and more people come to understand that life is about more than just raising kids and working to make money. Everywhere I go I meet folks who are looking to find their life's purpose.

As described in other texts, I believe that my purpose can not be I myself. To my life is about making a contribution to this creation.

Money is not any longer the reason for my work, but just aside-effect - necessary, but by itself not sufficient. I want to spend the remaining few hundred weeks of my life working towards the fulfillment of my soul's mission. My job can and has to be supporting my in this quest.

It is now clear to me that I won't last long in a job that is preventing me from working on what I came to this world to do. Looked at it in the other way around, if a job required me to work on something that is in alignment with my mission I will be very productive and an amazing contributor.

I think, many people are in this mode, that I am; although not all of them may have realized what's going on, why they are so unhappy in their job.



Are you happy and fulfilled in your job? What is your mission here in this world? Does your job provide an opportunity for you to work on your mission?



If this my observation is accurate, it is advisable to employers to adjust their approach to make use of this fact. First, an employer - actually, every supervisor, manager, and team-leader - should clear about what their mission and goals are. This makes it easier for every team-member to easier see how the job is providing the opportunity to implement her/his life's purpose.

Secondly, a switch from workers-management to team-leadership is to be made. The task of any supervisor is no longer to watch to ensure everybody is pulling their weight, trying to ensure productivity by threatening, conjoling and manipulating. Instead, the new task is to define goals that inspire the co-workers, and to remove obstacles so the coworkers are not hindered in their productivity. In essence: when people want to go where the bus is heading, it is moving at full speed, and the leaders have to ensure it is heading in a good direction, and to avoid traffic-jams...



What is your leadership style (in your job, and among your friends and family), and that of your superior: Forcing obedience or inspiring greatness?

Be mindful: Inspiring greatness can not be used as a means to manipulate. Do you see the difference?