At our last company day, we explored each of our values and what they meant to us. Bringing Joy to our work is central to what we do, but it was worth digging a bit deeper. Our collective thoughts on Joy were broader than I could’ve imagined, but it does seem cohesive. I have summarised our conversation about Joy below.
Sustainability
Including phrases such as; not stressed, better work/life balance, manageable workload, keep the lights on, time to breath. As well as choosing to work on client site less, so that we can make a difference in the world in other ways through writing, creating, speaking or spending more time with loved ones. To me this was the most surprising theme that emerged in our discussion about joy. However, if you are overloaded then that usually results in stress, not something we associate with joy. So, this is like a hygiene factor, being overloaded is neither a productive nor happy place to be.
Remember the Agile principle “Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.” Such an important but often overlooked principle; but one that in fact it is essential for success with an Agile approach.
Creation
The act of creating new things, discovering, doing something cool, having new experiences, variety of work; this stuff is energy giving and it’s fun. We are meeting challenges with a healthy mind and heart. When what we do has meaning, we experience moments of pleasure along the way and when we are able to use our strengths our well-being is increased, this is the happiness that we feel.
People are valuable
Making people feel valued – worthy and capable. We remove the tyranny of management controlling the work lives of the workers. People can bring their whole self to any situation.
Growth
There was also a theme around growth that emerged an opportunity to develop oneself and others in the BeLiminal network. More importantly though it was the opportunity to help our clients and the community grow through a love of learning, giving people the tools and techniques to disrupt or change their world; helping people whenever we can.
Tribe
Many at BeLiminal have worked as independent consultants until recently. Being part of BeLiminal feels like we have a tribe once more. A place to where we feel connected, where we can help each other achieve, find and share new ideas while having fun together as a team. We also recognise the diversity of the team is very important; we are better together. There is also an absence of judgment and a commitment to recognize what each of us is bringing to the network and are subsequently achieving in the world.
A sense of tribe goes beyond our own network; the Agile community can be a very collaborative place and has been a joy to be part of for the last 10 to 15 years.
Finally, I think it is worth noting that we find ourselves in a very fortunate position. Being able to do the work we do and earn a living from it. Over the coming years, we hope to can give a lot more back and make the world of work a more joyful place.
What does Joy mean to you?
Author: Mark Summers
