Three bricklayers are asked: “What are you doing?”
The first says, “I am laying bricks.”
The second says, “I am building a church.”
And the third says, “I am building the house of God.”
The first bricklayer has a job. The second has a career. The third has a calling. This is what we call a purpose driven life.
When you got to work this morning, what were you building?
This is the reason we need a why! Leaders must begin to understand that anyone can lay bricks, special people build the church, and future leaders are building that house of God. I add one more level to this, a fourth says, "I am building a stairway to heaven". That is legacy, that is what our leadership should be looking to instill in their team.
What were you building today?
Did you get through your task list? Did you re-organize your desk, or someone else's? Maybe you had several meetings where you outlined a project. Did you lay bricks? or envisioned a staircase?
In numerous posts, I have written about starting with why, finding that purpose, inspiring others by matching the organizations goals to the teams personal goals. Where do you want to go? What do you want to be, do, or have?
How can you find this passion in your everyday tasks? How can you see it as a pathway to success?
White Castle Hamburgers
Back in high school, yes ... it's throwback Thursday I guess ... I was a janitor at a local movie theatre. I went to work at 4:15 every day, and cleaned up the popcorn, soda, candy, and goo that littered the theatre. Our lunch break was around 6:30am, and back in those days, the only fast food restaurant open was White Castle.
One Sunday morning, it was my turn to pick up lunch. The place was pretty much empty, except for a simple family of four. Just a quick look at them, and you can see that they had it tough. While I was waiting for my order, one of the young kids started singing Happy Birthday to his Mother. At the end, he kissed her on the cheek, and said how happy he was that the could go out to dinner for her birthday.
Why is this important? When that hamburger flipper starts to think that he is just flipping burgers, a leader can point to an example like this and say, "No, you are creating a birthday feast".
When you go to work tomorrow, think about what you are building.
At the Kole Performance Group, we help you find your why! Contact us, let's sit down and discuss your hopes, dreams, goals and objectives. Let's craft a life plan that gets you past laying bricks!