It was the era when NASA was on a warpath to land a man on the moon. In 1962, US president John F. Kennedy made a visit to NASA for the first time. During his visit, he noticed one janitor cleaning the floors. Out of curiosity, the president approached the janitor and introduced himself, asking him what he does at NASA. The janitor, with pride on his chest, said,
“Mr. President, I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
Although I can’t attest to the historical accuracy of this incident, it has been used for years to illustrate how crucial it is to connect our thoughts to the bigger picture, even when our work or job function doesn’t make much sense.
I remember, there used to be a security guard uncle at the local SBI branch. He helped me every time I went there, bringing the necessary Bank forms, directing me to the correct counter, and even collecting the pen for my signature. Indeed, according to the designation, he is merely a security guard whose job it is to secure the bank premises, but he has most likely linked his work to the branch’s larger vision, which is to make the branch more customer friendly and convenient.
One of the most difficult challenges we millennials face right now is determining the purpose of our work. Every day, as I stare at the excel sheet in front of me, I ask myself,
“What am I probably resolving?” What exactly am I doing? Is my existence even significant to the company, or am I merely a replaceable cog in the wheel?
I would blame it on poor management that failed to communicate the vision to the employees, which is unfortunately quite common these days. In the name of orientation, you are simply given a humongous book filled with millions of black alphabets. The company hardly bothers to educate you on what’s actually written in that job manual, which is why employees are becoming increasingly disoriented.
Remember the news of that brave traffic police who stood still amid the thunderstorm and performed his duty? Obviously, what he performed that night, brought glory not only to him but also to the entire police department.
So, returning to the janitor’s story, his job is simply to keep the office floors clean but imagine a day with dirty floors and dust everywhere. Would scientists and engineers be able to perform their jobs properly? Clearly not… And this is where the janitor’s role comes into play.
So, this is my lesson to myself: rather than being a deserter, be a piece of the puzzle…SEARCH FOR THE BIG PICTURE…