After many weeks of feeling caught in the headlights (or is it the
headlines?), I realised that my company, and I were no longer acting,
we were reacting.
What happened to our great vision? Is it still valid when the world is in
the teeth the worst downturn in 60 years? I find that I may have lost my way. All the worrying and anticipating, has sapped our energy. Donald Trump once said, “Without passion you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.”
Today I reignited my passion. This morning, I asked everyone who works with me to answer two questions:
- What inspires you (20 words or less)? Don’t just say it’s the thing you do every day at work (unless that’s genuinely what inspires you). Choose something interesting — walks in the park, winning, listening to music, talking to your friends, finding new solutions.
- What makes us special (20 words or less)? Again, don’t bore on about something you think your boss wants to hear. Pick something inspiring.
I didn’t expect much, which shows you how self-absorbed it’s possible to get when you’re watching BBC Online. Their comments made it clear that the people around me are still excited and are still clear on what’s great about working here. (What they liked: that everyone has a will to improve everyday and be the best,, the way problems are solved as a team, the quality of service the clients receive.) What a great revelation. It was like a jolt of real energy.
Tomorrow, I will engage our clients, with the same questions and by the end of the week, I will come up with a shining, magnificent vision so powerful that it will rally everyone to achieve our goals.
