It’s easy to just show up and go with the flow, that’s probably why most people take that route. There are certainly times when it’s ok to follow instructions and wait your turn. Going through security at LAX is as good a time as any to just shuffle along.
But at work, why?
Most of us spend at least 40 hours of our waking hours week after week doing a job. We punch in, we do some stuff, we punch out and go home. Nobody said that ‘stuff’ in the middle had to be boring, but somewhere along the line we accepted it. Somewhere it became ok to just do the stuff and go home. I have an old habit of watching shows recorded on my DVR when I should be fast asleep. Tonight I was catching up on NBC’s Thursday night line up and watched 30 Rock. Jack Donaghy, Alec Baldwin’s character, pontificates at one point about how America has become a nation of consumers and that we need to start producing again. I’m not taking the credit for the script or anything, but I’ve been saying this for the past couple of months.
I’ve never worked in a factory. One summer I helped out a friend’s Dad that was a contractor. Those two days were hard labor. No, I’ve never been a roll up your actual sleeves and get to work guy. I have, however, been a roll up your proverbial sleeve and let’s tackle this business strategy type of guy. Producing can mean making widgets but it can also mean doing something meaningful with the time between clock punches. Making a connection with a co-worker you barely know, discovering a more efficient process for handling a mundane office task, helping a customer have an extraordinary experience. This is producing and it’s work that matters. At least it’s work that matters to the co-worker, the office manager and the customer. If you’re going to spend so many hours of your life punching the clock, don’t waste your time in the middle. Do work that matters.
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