Craig’s story of four bricklayers illustrates why connecting to something higher is so important; why having a higher purpose is good for an organization and for each of its people.
Which bricklayer are you? What is your organization building?
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Here’s what Craig says in the video
Hi everybody! Hey it’s Craig Freshley here on the banks of the Androscoggin River in Bethel, Maine.
So I was walking along the road and I saw a guy — he was a bricklayer — and I asked him, “What are you doing?” And he said, “I’m carrying a brick.”
Well I walked a little further and there was another bricklayer and I asked him, “What’re you doing?” and he said, “I’m building a wall.”
And I asked the next brick layer, “What’re you doing?” and he said, “I’m building a cathedral.”
And I asked the next bricklayer, “What are you doing?” and he said, “I’m serving God.”
Each of these four bricklayers had a different self image of the work that they were doing and the contribution that they were making. Which bricklayer do you think was likely to be a better worker, more into their job, and actually more happy and satisfied with what they were doing?
Now your work doesn’t need to be about serving God. Maybe you’re working in a hospital and helping people. Maybe you’re working in a school, and a teacher. Or maybe you’re just writing on a blackboard.
The way that you see yourself and how you feel connected to the vision — the higher calling — of the organization that you work for makes a big difference.
If your group wants to truly excel and get the most out of every participant, make sure you articulate that higher vision — that higher calling — and make sure that everyone in the organization understands what it is and ideally feels really good about contributing to that higher thing.
I hope that you help your group make good decisions out there.
Thanks for listening everybody!
