“No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en…”
Taming of the Shrew, Act I, Scene 1
The scene is Padua at the opening of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew and young Lucentio has just arrived to begin his university education. He tells his servant Tranio that he intends to study “virtue” and to honor his father and his home town of Pisa that is “renown’d for grave citizens”. Wise Tranio counsels the young man not to be too serious about his studies, saying “while we do admire this virtue and this moral discipline, let’s be no stoics…” He counsels Lucentio to have some fun, to mix music and poetry with the study of mathematics and metaphysics. He closes his speech with the quote above which reads in full: “No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en: In brief, sir, study what you most affect.”
What is the lesson for leaders? It is simply this: make sure to follow your passion where it leads you and make sure others can too. Here are some simple steps to help you do it.
Begin by being clear about your personal mission in life as you think about your daily work and your career path. If you don’t have passion for what you are doing, ask yourself why you are doing it. Our motivations and sense of purpose change as we grow older and mature. As children we tend to define ourselves by asking “What do I have?” We long for the latest phone or video game or some other gadget that makes us feel important. As adults in the world of work, we tend to define ourselves by asking “What do I do?” Achievement is a big driver and having the right job confers status that says we have arrived. Then getting promotion after promotion tells us we are making progress. A little later, after marriage, a house and a family, we may begin to define ourselves more by relationships and ask “Who do I care for and care about?” Service to others at home and at work adds to our priorities and that can create stress.
At some point, however, when having more “things” has lost its charm and work is no longer a challenge and the kids are off on their own, we come to a place where we no longer define ourselves by what is outside of us but by what is inside. We ask, “What will give my life meaning and purpose?” Have you ever known anyone who looked forward longingly to retirement so that they could just do what they wanted to do? Is it possible to have the possessions, the super job, and the relationships and have some fun too? Of course it is; but you have to decide to include the fun.
Tranio is not telling Lucentio that he shouldn’t work hard; he is telling him that he will profit most by doing what is meaningful to him. As a leader, you owe it to yourself, your organization and those who work with and for you to bring 100% of your talent, energy and passion to the job you are doing. Without a conscious awareness of our personal priorities, it is far too easy to lose sight of what is really important.
So, try this activity. Write down the things that you love in every aspect of your life. When have you felt fully alive and at your personal best? When have you felt joy at work, at home and at play? Now identify how you can have a little of each of those experiences now rather than years from now. All of us are busy, and you may only have an hour a week for “my time” or “our time”. Simply deciding to do something you want to do rather than what you have to do can be liberating. Doing things that provide real satisfaction (including projects at work) can actually increase your productivity and energy for everything else that simply must be done.
The second lesson for leaders is that others at work need to find meaning and pleasure in what they do. Work becomes more meaningful if I have some control over how I get the job done. It is also meaningful if I think I am making a difference. Many people feel taken for granted. You can influence the culture by valuing and recognizing people for who they are and for their contributions. You can help your subordinates design a career path for themselves based on their own goals. Giving good people a say in their next assignment makes business sense. Without an exciting future, the good people will be working somewhere else at some point and you will be stuck with the whoever is left. You can also pay attention to what feeds your peers and those above you and help them too.
If you pay attention, you can have both profit and pleasure. And you will be a better leader.
(This is the first in a series of leadership lessons from the works of William Shakespeare. I want to acknowledge and thank my son and daughter-in-law, David and Jan Blixt for their inspiration and advice on this post and the ones that are to come. David and Jan are both talented Shakespearean actors and directors whose knowledge of Shakespeare is both wide and deep. I continue to learn from them.)
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