Make your work your play and never work again

When you do what you love, you never work again. 
– Confucius

Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls it being in Flow. Ken Robinson calls it being in your Element. It’s a wonderful state to be “in the pocket” (musicians) or “in the zone” (athletes).  The historical model of business competitive advantage dictates that a few wield the insight, and the many provide the mental brawn of execution.  And so this model squanders the potential collective insights of people who make up the bulk of the executing talent we employ.  Yet research shows those enabled to find their voice, skill and passion, are the most likely to build stronger collaboration with customers to build successes.

Recently I posed the term Echoleaders to mean those who find their voice and begin to build resonant ideas around them.  Resonance is when the energy applied is in sync with the intended outcome. I mean to say we should be vocal in what we believe, and by giving voice to our passions – in work, play, whatever – we’ll naturally find those in our field of vision who can echo back their own experiences and then collectively we find new paths of creating constant value and innovation.

Just watch the Facebook or Twitter scroll you participate in and the ‘like’ affirmations and comment participation demonstrate your resonant posse on any given idea or moment in your life.  Each point of participation is a building block of collaborative effort. All contributions are cumulative. The point is this: if you focus on your skill and passion, you’ll find an interested like-minded group to participate in the journey.

Make your work your play. Wherever you are on the Org chart, reach beyond your task and team, and give voice to what you believe. If your heart and intent is authentic, a growing party of fellowship will happily join your venture.