Does Your Job Make You Happy?
Eric Spitz
Entrepreneur; Sports tech pioneer; News media exec; Restaurant franchisor; Beer maven; Cannabis industry OG; AI empiricist -- Taking another big swing with FanUp.ai
The?Harvard Study of Adult Development?began in 1938 with the goal of learning what makes humans happy. Over the past 85 years, the longitudinal research project has followed individuals and their family trees over time, and it now includes more than 1,300 descendants of the original subjects. They claim theirs to be the longest-running, rigorous study of human happiness in the history of the world.
As they enter 2023, the current director, Dr. Robert Waldinger , tells us that neither wealth, nor I.Q., nor social class matter nearly as much to human wellbeing as the richness of our relationships with other people. ?The study’s authors claim that strong bonds with our friends, our neighbors, and members our families can ward off sickness and make us feel healthier and more fulfilled.
When technology permeates our lives, it tempts us to substitute screen time for human interactions, and then cleverly tricks us into thinking we are winning the trade.
"“If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap. If you want happiness for a day — go fishing. If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.” ?– Chinese Proverb
Leadership Matters in 2023
We began the year with newly elected Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy , needing 15 rounds to TKO the holdouts in his new Republican caucus. The long, drawn-out voting process doesn’t portend success for the new 118th Congress, and neither does the farcical presence of George Santos (a/k/a Anthony Devolder).
Here, former Congressman Peter King links collegial relationships to success in Congress, as he argues why George Santos is a “dead man walking”.
Two NFL coaches shined brilliantly, when the moment demanded. During the Monday Night Football game on January 2, the Buffalo Bills player, Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a seemingly routine tackle.
Understanding their leadership roles, both Zac Taylor of the opposing Bengals and Sean McDermott of the Bills, transformed themselves into parental figures. They let the emotions of their players drive their actions, not the rules of the game, manliness, or NFL tradition.
The NFL had previously never stopped a game before its end, due to an injury on the field. These two coaches led their teams off the field and into the showers, thereby taking the cancellation decision upon themselves. None of their men would continue play.
Zac Taylor opened his post-game press conference with these poignant comments,
“Thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin and the Bills organization. It’ll be a great day when he’s able to see all of the support that he’s been given.”
The Labor Movement Has a New Leader, and His Name is Sean O’Brien
The intersection between leadership, happiness, and people is jobs.
In 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life while standing alongside sanitation workers on strike in Memphis, Tennessee. The day before the civil rights leader was assassinated, King delivered his renowned “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech focused on the struggle of the 1,300 Black sanitation workers in Memphis who toiled in harsh conditions for long hours and low wages.
Last year, Sean O'Brien of Boston was sworn in as the 11th General President of the 1.4 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters . He is 50 years old and a fourth-generation Teamster, who has taken on a daunting task. He must navigate his membership, and perhaps the American working class with them, through this period of technological upheaval.
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On Monday, Sean O'Brien told his membership, "The principles that Dr. King fought and died for are the principles that guide our union and the entire labor movement today. Dr. King led the fight for equal pay for equal work — he was a union man at his core. We know Dr. King would be standing with Teamsters and all workers today as we confront Corporate America to win a better life for the working class.”
Sean is girding for battle, as he defends his members from corporate titans like UPS.?
The Teamsters should consider a more conciliatory approach, where both the employers and the union recognize that they are both trying to help the same people. So too, are they both slaves to the oncoming technology tsunami. Neither knows what the future holds, so perhaps Sean should call 美国联合包裹服务 CEO, Carol B. Tomé to see when they can go fishing together.
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The History Present will appear weekly, throughout 2023. Feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Senior financial, risk management and turnaround executive | Skilled problem solver | Excel Ninja
1 年Interesting essay, and you make some good points, but I'm not sure I agree with the overall premise. I think a job in most cases is the thing that enables us to attain fulfillment elsewhere. Jobs don't need to make one happy. If they do, that's wonderful, but it's rare and should not be a prerequisite. We need to pay our bills to fund our lifestyles, our family time, our hobbies, our personal relationships, all those vitally important things you so rightly identify as central to true happiness. And that is the function of our jobs. If our jobs are themselves driving that happiness, that could have the effect of pulling us away from those other, more lasting relationships.