Do you tap dance to work?

Every time I've joined a new team or project in the past, I've done so with energy focused on creating value, building something useful, something that would either solve the real world's problem or make people's lives easier in some way.

"I get to do what I love with people I love" ~Warren Buffett

I believe it all starts with the purpose, knowing the impact one could create, knowing that there are people out there who need you, who rely on you, who trust you, knowing there is something we're leaving behind, that we grow as individuals, and that there's a meaning to our days. Warren would describe the start of his typical working day with his famous line: "First I get up and I tap dance into work", depicting his sincere love towards the team and the environment that he has built over the years.

Burning with passion

People are like lanterns fueled by passion. They get excited, motivated, and when placed in the right position, they produce a beautiful fire that shapes the future of the company. The goal of the management should naturally be making sure these lanterns are put to good use, producing as much light as possible in places where it's needed the most.

"Nothing personal, it's just business." ~Otto Berman

Building a team where every single employee would be perfectly satisfied and employed to the best of his abilities, is a tough challenge. Hard decisions might put some employees at a very unpleasant spot. In tech teams, a lot of frustration builds up around tech debt, building things in an ugly way because there is no time or budget to do things properly. The bottom line is to keep people informed, setting the expectations right, and making sure people see the real value behind these efforts that awaits them at the end.

When the light is burning low

Replacing a lantern with a new one is way more expensive than refilling the old one, just as you finding ways how to produce more light is easier than finding a new place where you can shine. If something feels like an obstacle and you see a better way how something can be done, just go for it! Talk to people, get the buy-in and support needed, push it through and make your workplace a better place.

Don't let your flame die out

If the flower doesn't bloom, replace the environment, not the flower, they say. If you are being scolded for thinking out of the box, being reminded to stick to your job, and deprived of a chance to express yourself in a creative and meaningful manner, it might be a time to find yourself a better place. If instead of Warren's idea of tap dancing to work, you keep checking the clock, counting down the hours before you can leave, by all means, move on before that environment drags you down.

When presented with a list of new roles though, look beyond the salary. Find out as much as possible about how your job will look like, the people you will work with, how exciting the typical day-to-day activities seem to be, how you can contribute and eventually become recognized and appreciated for it. Because these are the real factors that will determine whether you will tap dance or count down the hours.