“If you want to build a ship, do not drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead , teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” (Antoine de Saint Exupery)
Before March 2020 there was a vale of tears in many firms: employees were dissatisfied with their manager, with their work-life balance, with colleagues, with clients, with the time spent going to the office and coming back.
In a way, we got the feeling that they cannot find a purpose in what they do, apart from having a salary to make a living.
The political landscape, the media show does not help at all, on the contrary. You could easily get the feeling that you are a pawn on a chess table whose movements are controlled by others, and you do not even have the power of a rook or a queen. Or we can compare ourselves with those who rowed a galley below the upper deck, in the past. Without any visibility whatsoever, without hope beyond the current day.
Many people expect from managers to give them hope, a vision, the belief that, beyond rowing there is also the world on the upper deck, the relaxation, the lighthouse and the shore far away.
Not all managers managed to do it; they themselves maybe felt like the employees in their teams. Or maybe they did not know how, they could not find the patch of light on the horizon.
We entered a time defined by transactional, bureaucratic thinking, where we saw many narcissistic managers and opinion makers full of themselves. What is worse, they attracted others, like in a seduction process.
In this world that is led, in most cases, by such ‘leaders’, we can see here and there others who do it differently. New Zealand’s Prime Minister is an example in this respect: a person who leads firmly but with empathy, care, attention, collaboration, inclusiveness, respect towards people, knowledge.
I am certain there are many other leaders like this in organisations, both in Romania and abroad.
I would widen the area not only to leaders, but also to individuals who do not lead others but who know how to lead themselves. It is true what Saint Exupery says: a leader has to instil in their team the desire to contribute to something grand, long-term, with a positive impact, something that gives people that feeling of accomplishment, of purpose, of joy, similar to that ‘longing for the sea’ from the quote above.
Beyond this, however, I invite you to be your own leader. I hope that a new era of those who are their own leaders, enthusiastic, purposeful, who respect knowledge, who have common goals, and who can transform society and the organizations they are a part of. People who will yearn for the sea and who will build strong ships.