A heart surgeon was once telling me about his work. With a sense of awe he said, “Sometimes a person is dying. I take their heart into my hands and when I am finished they are alive.” He was rejoicing in the meaningfulness of his contributions.
Surprisingly, I know this feeling. Very sophisticated people ask me to work with them because they do not know how to to turn themselves into a cohesive and vitalized team. This means the company is not optimizing its potential. Because the team is not cohesive, money is actually being left on the table. Sometimes I am able to take the organizational heart, massage it, and bring life back to the team. As I ponder such experiences, I have a deep sense of gratitude that sometimes I am able to be part of such meaningful contributions.
Recently I had a conversation in which I was helping a young professional to think deeply about his professional purpose. It was stunning to see the energy that was released as the person began to clarify what he really wanted in his professional life. When we work very hard to clarify our talents and how to give them away it moves us to purpose and it opens paths so that we can have experiences that take us to meaningful contribution.
Reflection
- How is your energy level?
- Do you know your highest purpose?
- Are you invested in becoming?
- How could we use this passage to create a more positive organization?