It’s early in the morning, around 8 a.m.
We, my wife and I, are on our way back from our jogging round and see “Men at Work” in our street. And the truck that picks up the contents of the bins. It’s the garbage collection and the men work hard.
“Do you think we should talk to them?” I ask my wife next to me and pull a small bill out of my sweatpants. I always have it with me for “emergencies” when it goes through fields and forests in the morning.
“Good idea,” I hear back. And so I approach one of the working men as he is about to move our bin. Startled, he looks at me.
“We know, I say, “that it’s quite a hard piece of work. You and your colleagues do this very reliably. And we are really grateful to you for that. Thank you!”
I hand him the bill along with the question: “You must have something like a coffee box, don’t you?”
He smiles and nods at us, takes the bill and goes to the driver of the truck. And there we think we see it, in the cab, the small can into which the note with the explanatory words of the colleague is inserted. And we are given another friendly nod by the two of them.
We do this every now and then, depending on the occasion. I don’t know if others do the same, or if we’re an exception.
I remember earlier times in the small town where I grew up. Before the last load before Christmas, they always rang the doorbell, maybe got a coffee or hot tea and a small gift for Christmas. Gladly given and gladly accepted.
All this makes me think. Because it works
✳️ about recognition and how to move from the arrogance of knowledge work to respect for every work and
✳️ about visibility and how to move from invisible work to perception of what keeps the business running.
These are two main chapters in the book “Work Survive Balance”, taken almost verbatim.
In it, Hans Rusinek argues that the way we work has a significant impact on the environment. The future of work will be linked to the future of the planet. And a rethink in our working practices is demanded. The dimensions of change, the two mentioned above, and seven others are described in the book.
➡️ Worth thinking about, isn’t it?
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My name is Bernd Scharbert and I support managers and executives with my leadership experience after more than 30 years in the corporate world. Also on the question of how family, career and life can be reconciled. If you are interested, please feel free to follow me on LinkedIn, #prepare4landing or contact me directly.
