Will the pursuit of happiness replace the search for excellence?

The bright and dark sides of excellence

Excellence is a relentless pursuit of perfection, a commitment to mastery in one's craft or profession. It transcends mere competence and demands continuous improvement and dedication. The Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France offer valuable lessons in balancing excellence with personal fulfilment. Rooted in medieval guild traditions, this French organisation nurtures artisans through rigorous apprenticeships, where skills are honed across various trades while travelling the country.

For the Compagnons, excellence isn't just a goal but a way of life. It involves discipline, resilience, and a deep respect for transmission, learning and long-term craftsmanship. Their commitment to mastering skills ensures they produce work of unparalleled quality, reflecting centuries of accumulated wisdom and expertise. This pursuit of excellence is not driven solely by external rewards but by an intrinsic desire to surpass oneself and leave a lasting legacy through their craft.

In the modern world of work, the quest for excellence reflects this desire for mastery. Organisations that prioritise excellence foster a culture of innovation, diligence, and high standards. In 1982, Thomas Peter and Robert H. Waterman, published their bestseller “In search for excellence”, placing the word ??excellence?? at the center of business semantics. Forty years later, their book is still considered as a must-read.

However, in today’s world of high speed, complexity and global competition, the search for excellence often reveals its shadow side. Striving relentlessly to meet the highest standards can mean losing sufficient regard for one’s well-being and even one’s basic needs. This obviously runs counter to the much sought after work-life balance, and can contribute to high levels of stress, endangering oneself and others, and burn-out.

Focusing on individual happiness

A major trend among the younger generations in the Western world is see loyalty to a to a job or company as outdated in this world of constant and rapid change. Many favor learning and development, the work environment and relationships, rather than committing to long-term endeavors that require perseverance and dedication. This can result in high turnover rates and a lack of sustained engagement among workers.

Achieving work-life balance is an integral part of this pursuit of happiness. It’s about harmonising work commitments with personal priorities, ensuring that individuals have the time and energy to engage in activities that bring them joy and satisfaction outside of work.

The view that personal satisfaction, happiness or fulfilment is more likely to come from the private spheres of life rather than the professional arena is a major shift in philosophy and society, profoundly influencing individuals and organisations. The focus on self rather than the collective explains why, in many companies, happiness has become a critical factor in fostering staff engagement and retention.

When purpose is at stake, contributing to the emergence of a more inclusive and more sustainable world will take precedence over the dedication required to strive for excellence.

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Quiet Quitting and Disengagement

The 2024 Gallup “State of Global Workplace” report shows that 62% of employees worldwide are not engaged and 15% actively disengaged. Only 23 % on average worldwide are engaged (ranging from 33% for the USA and Canada to 13% for Europe).

The phenomenon of “quiet quitting” where employees disengage mentally and emotionally while remaining physically present, illustrates the new struggle at work.

One of the problems of quiet quitting and disengagement is that it doesn’t bring neither excellence nor happiness. Gallup report also shows a correlation between disengagement and negative emotions such as stress, anger, worry, sadness and loneliness (although it's not always easy to know which is the cause of the other).

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When excellence at work brings happiness

In his book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience", Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explores the mental state of consciousness when a person is fully immersed in an activity, feeling fully focused, energised and fully engaged. It is notable that when people are asked to describe experiences of flow, they most often cite professional rather from their personal experiences. When people are able to access and maintain this state of flow in their work, they are more likely to be creative, engaged and achieve excellence. They will make the most of their skills and potential, while experiencing a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfilment.

In “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us?? Daniel Pink demonstrates, how mastery is an essential lever of intrinsic motivation, along with autonomy and purpose.

It seems that the quest for excellence and the pursuit of happiness are not mutually exclusive but interconnected journeys toward individual and organisational success. Finding a balance between excellence, happiness, and work-life harmony is essential to navigating the complexities of modern work environments. This means valuing both the pursuit of high standards and the importance of personal well-being, ensuring that individuals can thrive professionally and personally. When excellence and happiness converge, individuals find fulfilment in their achievements while making a significant contribution to the success of their organisation.

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Resolving the paradox: From work-life balance to balance of life at work

Many companies, which take an official stance in promoting work-life balance find themselves caught in a double bind, as they simultaneously demand results from their managers based on efficiency and profitability. So doing, they often forget their sense of purpose and create new dynamics of stress. Paradoxically, they could achieve more fruitful results if they focused less on “work-life balance” and more on the “balance of life at work”. Ensuring that individuals can develop their excellence in a nurturing work environment, and thereby fulfil themselves both professionally and personally, can foster a culture where both the individual and the companies they work for can flourish.

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Antoine Bebe, with some inputs from ChatGPT