Are they the same thing? Ask me six months ago and I would say , yes of course, yet I am now discovering an unsettling reality.
Work and home are two good friends of mine but I have always tried to keep them apart, seeing the former as somewhat of an intruder on my personal space. Yet now they are living under the same roof, forced to engage with each other, and uncovering tensions.
Two worlds, two cultures are colliding and I am discovering new things.
Gerry Johnson in his book , Fundamentals of Strategy, speaks of culture showing up in different ways and I have noticed a few surfacing between my two good friends.
The stories we tell.
Work tells stories of how busy I am, my commute,
Being tells stories of how we are helping and being helped.
The symbols we value.
Work likes to be noticed, praised, recognised.
Being values a call from a friend with a sincere , “how are you”, question.
Routines and Rituals.
Work loves the routines of coffee at the station, fighting for a seat (without appearing to do so).
Being enjoys time to notice the blossom tree flourishing.
My friend Work is organised, methodical, almost mechanical, so unlike my Being friend who can be a little unpredictable and scary.Quite unexpectedly, during the past week,
Work and Being have become much closer. Being has been invited into Work meetings, enriching the experience.
I ,like most, am longing for the day we can get back to some sense of normality but I am hoping that my two good friends will continue to grow closer with the ambition over time they become one.
