The lucky baker
I love holidaying in France. One of my guilty pleasures is the boulangerie or baker’s shop. It is not that I am a pig — though I have been known to knock back more than my fair share of croissants — the thing that I love is the shop itself, the window display, the ovens, the baker working away creating the most amazing things.
I am jealous of him, I wish I had his skill and place in the world.
Foreign words
There are a couple of foreign words I’ve learnt:
- Dharma is a Sanskrit word, it has lots of meanings but one of them is “the essential function or nature of a thing” or “life’s purpose”
- Gheeno is a Japanese word, it translates as “skill or technique”.
The words and the boulanger come from different cultures, but they are intertwined; as you develop your gheeno your dharma shows itself. It is easy to understand how the baker, I am so jealous of, could enjoy his work.
But what if you work in a call centre?
Or a factory, or on a dustbin lorry, what chance do you have of developing your gheeno and finding your dharma? I guess that depends on what is expected of you, and the opportunities you take:
- Do you just sit there answering the phone?
- Do you take pride in understanding the customer’s issues and resolving the situation?
- Do you dig deeper and change the system, fixing the problems so they don’t happen in the first place?
Who owns your dharma? Where do you find your gheeno?
We own our own lives…
But, as a manager who do you want working for you, a craftsman or a labourer?
- Do you give your staff the chance to develop their skills?
- Can they see the fruits of their labour?
- Do they have the tools they need?
- Do they understand the inherent value in what they are doing?
Are they mastering their work, or simply showing up for the money?
The secret of joy in work is contained in one word — excellence
To know how to do something well is to enjoy it ~ Pearl Buck
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Image by Nelson Minar
James,
Your post reminded me of the Daruma doll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daruma_doll) that Matthew May sent me. His purpose – and mine for using it – was good luck, encouragement, and goal setting. Perhaps there’s some connection between gheeno and goal setting?
Annette :-)
Maybe, I have a couple myself, though one has been part blind for a long time.
James,
Great post and a great couple of words.
Your last question: “Are they mastering their work, or simply showing up for the money?” is the best part for me. The answer to that tells you almost everything you need to know.
Adrian
It does, it is also a very useful question to ask yourself from time to time. Though I guess a number of us won’t like the answer.
Hello James,
It occurs to me that there is radically distinct way of looking at the situation. Allow me to share that with you given that I have a certain understanding-appreciation of the French. Including the fact that my wife’ grandparents operated a boulangerie / patisserie in Paris.
A boulangerie is not just another shop. It would not be going to far to say that it is a revered institution in France. So man of the French that I know start their day, every day, with the pain-croissant purchased at the boulangerie.
The person who bakes the pain also, typically, owns the boulangerie. And as such he is not alienated from the product that he produces. He sees himself in his product and the product as an extension of his self. Furthermore, it is not easy to become a baker. It is hard work that requires a long apprenticeship. So one must really want to be a baker.
The better the product (pain, croissant) the more likely it is that one while create a loyal set of customers. The better the banter (customer service) the more likely it is that one will create a loyal set of customers. The reward of doing well in both areas is there: most of the customers of a boulangerie are locals. So the boulangerie lives and dies by the reputation.
It occurs to me that none of that which is so as regards the baker and the boulangerie is so in a call centre or the modern workplace. Where, if one strips away ideology and the human need to maintain one’s dignity, one can see that most people live the lives of slaves. And they do so to make a living and to maintain their social status.
The true joy of work comes from the meaning one gives to the work that one is doing. The baker operating his boulangerie relates to himself as a free person, a craftsman, someone who is creating a product that gives joy to his neighbours. How can this compare with someone who knows that she comes into the call-centre, to do work that is not valued by society, and does this work only to pay the bills. Who brags about being a call-centre agent?
All the best.
maz
A very interesting point Maz but I am not sure I agree.
The other day I spent some time with a facilities company. That is what they call themselves, but in reality they hire people who clean the loos. It is not a glamorous job.
I met a team of 6 who are responsible for cleaning the offices of a large utility company. They had spent 6 months redesigning the way they work. Changing their rotas, deciding what supplies they needed on their cleaning trolleys, working out what should be cleaned when…
They were the most fired up group I have come across in ages.
The most telling comment came from one who said he was really fed up with having to find chemicals all the time. As he put it, I have work to do, I don’t want to be wasting my time.
James