I’m out west this weekend in Taos, New Mexico following a lovely business trip to Santa Fe.  I’m soaking up the beauty and peacefulness of the surroundings and connecting  with Native American ways of life.  And I’m a little dizzy from the altitude, so I’m blaming the that for any wacky ideas or bad grammar!

I reconnected with an old friend while in Santa Fe, and made some lovely new acquaintances over breakfast at the “Bed and ..” this morning.  And the funny thing is, the conversations with both were very similar, resonating with my recent thinking.  So I thought I’d share a little of what’s been percolating with workplace jazz readers.

I am hearing and sensing a change in what people want from their work, their workplaces, and their relationships.  What I hear is a longing and a readiness to bring all of oneself to work. All of your talents, skills, knowledge, and wisdom.  And even more… What I hear is people wanting to really be all of who they are –  their heart and soul, their hopes for the world, their passions, interests, everything.  Including imperfections.  And, well, I’m thinking that may not be too much to ask. (Remember, it’s the altitude.)

My own career journey is certainly on that path.  As demonstrated by this blog.  I find joy and community through music, and I want to weave  that into my work in ways that bring joy and meaning to others.  So I am finding ways to do that. (I’m cooking up something really exciting right now about jazz and the future of leadership with a client – I’ll share more on that this fall).  And beyond the music, I’m learning that by being true to myself, my own needs and hopes and where my energy naturally wants to go, I am a much more powerful consultant, teacher, and facilitator.  Saying “no” to the things that do not have meaning or excitement for me allows me to focus on work that I love.  That work is where I will have the greatest impact and do the most good, as well.  Funny how that works.

Of course, many of you don’t have the freedom in your work that I enjoy.  You have bosses and organizational structure and job descriptions and career politics.  Still, I believe everyone  can bring something more of themselves to their current work situations – and if they did, their co-wrokers and bosses and employers would benefit.    Maybe it’s saying what you really think or really feel instead of pretending, in order to “fit in.”  Or asking teammates to share what they hope to achieve in a project or  work effort:  ”What are your greatest hopes for this team?”   “What are you hoping will be different, or better, in the company through this work?”  ”What talent or contribution do you want to make, and how will this help the work?”  And then, of course, sharing what you hope for, what you want to contribute, why this work matters to you.  If these conversations happened more, more work teams might provide a more meaningful and more developmental experience for their members, while getting to the heart of the matter and solving bigger problems for their companies.

This train of thought deserves much more track.  I will continue to think and converse and play with it some more.  Just sharing some seedlings of it for now – and I’d love to hear your thoughts.  The wind just shifted and I think a storm’s coming over the mountain, so I gotta go….

{ 0 comments }