The other day, my wife and daughter were out to dinner at a local pizza bar. The place was busy. The server was a tattoo’ed millennial. The tat across her forearm read: ‘Love the process’. Her process was her work. Her passion. Her work affirmation. Maybe, her calling – her true north. True north is a compass metaphor for finding your true path in life and at work.
In much the same way, personal mission statements define who you are and what you do. VUCANs believe that personal mission statements are character defining. This is what you do. This is what you won’t do.
Work should be meaningful for you. Many friends want to do principle based work in a Green Work World, specifically focused on climate change, sustainability, and green issues. Only a few years ago, I would have said that a lot of companies had principles that were mainly motherhoods and meaningless slogans. With global COVID impacts, disruptive change is the new normal.
However, things changed for all companies and government this year. COVID. Furloughs. Downsizing. Outsourcing. Off shoring. Massive change all over. All of us are now trying to find our True North.
So, I’m finding that companies are also working to find their true north by paying attention to core principles and values, such as transparency, social responsibility, sustainability, social justice, equity, fairness, and human rights.
On a personal level, my values and principles are critical and sacred. In the same way, work has to be more than money to provide the freedom to do other things. Work is boring unless it has personal meaning or purpose. Work should touch us somewhere. It can be in the pocketbook, heart, and soul.
Work can make the world a better place to live. Work can be challenging and puzzling. Work can get us closer to God. Work can feel just right. Work can be your life’s purpose. Work provides meaning, which drives progress, creativity, and progress.
Work Lesson Earned: What’s your true north? What do you stand for? What drives you to do the work you do especially in COVID time?