Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much!

A few days ago, the entire nation was praying for the safe return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. We were all biting our nails in anxiety in front of the television, hoping to hear the good news - safe return of a brave hero. We cheered in unison, when Pakistan announced that it would send our Indian Air Force pilot back home. The nation followed his homecoming news with a feverish fervour. I too was watching the news and breathed a sigh of relief, when he crossed the Wagah-Attari border and returned to safety. A couple of days later, my respect and admiration for Abhinandan rose, when he expressed his intent to be back at work at the earliest.

His commitment to his duty, patriotism and passion for work inspired me and got me thinking – Would I be this excited to get back to work, after a distressing event? As employees, what inspires us to jump out of our snuggly beds every morning and head to work? Despite our difficulties and troubles, how can we ensure that we put in our best efforts at work? Is my organization doing everything in its power, to create such a passionate work environment for employees?

The answers to these questions are complex ones that vary for every individual. For some, a job is a responsibility to be borne, for inevitable reasons. For others, it is a way to turn their dreams into a reality. Yet, for a few others, work is an expression of what defines their identity and fills their hearts with joy! Whichever group you belong to, putting in your best work is a sure shot way of progressing in your career and adding value to what your firm does.

Steve Jobs sums this up nicely – “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Having said that, it is important to note that the relationship between an employer and employee is a two-way street. As employees, we thrive when the organization knows how to nurture the right talent at the right time. Be it a training program that hones a set of skills, or a relaxing team dinner, employers should try to create multiple platforms that facilitate the personal and professional growth of its workforce. The duty of every employee, then, is to utilize those platforms to deliver results and climb up the ladder. The success of this mutually beneficial synergy depends on how well both the parties hold up their end of the bargain.

The surest way to succeed is to find what makes your heart sing and love what you do, to deliver the best results. When the employee and the employer combine forces and work together, the results can be spectacular, for, as Helen Keller says, “Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much!”

Signing off with today’s dose of inspiration –

“If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, go out and sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Handel and Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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