Travelling the Seas Together

Over the festive period I took advantage of the break to catch up on some reading including No Rules Rules – Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention. Much has been written about the Netflix culture including the widely shared Culture Deck. This book included the following passage which is cited at the end of Netflix’s culture memo:

“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

This is a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince so caught my eye as I have read it so many times over the years. It then led me to thinking about the notion of “Travelling the Seas Together”.

Over the last year, I have discussed taking control of your career and the benefits of doing so. During the Bexley Beaumont welcome day, we show a video of Simon Sinek talking about his “Why” by reference to going on a journey.

I remember having a conversation with a Partner who had recently joined Bexley Beaumont, during our discussion they said that in their career to date “success” had always been defined for them. They were set daily, quarterly and annual targets and milestones and were told what success looks like. At Bexley Beaumont they were excited to work towards their own destination setting their own measures of success to celebrate along the journey.

Whilst the control to work towards your own destination is empowering very few people want to work in isolation or in silo. Most people still want to feel part of a Team - have colleagues, share the experiences and successes along their journey with others. They know they can all achieve more together with the support, experience and quality of the wider Team around them. They want to travel the seas together either with others on their ship with them or part of a fleet of ships making a journey.

It is also important that you have the right framework around you when making your journey. It helps if the organisations you choose to work within have a vision and values that are aligned with your personal goals and values. At Bexley Beaumont, we recruit on cultural fit so there must be a willingness and desire to work within a team culture of collaboration and support.

Many people in their work life have some of the components that could allow them to reach their destination but not all of them. For example, they might be on their way to their destination but making the journey alone without a team around them. Or they may have a fantastic team, but they are working to support someone else’s (or the organisation’s) destination. The organisations values and vision may not be aligned with their own personal values.

At Bexley Beaumont we nurture and encourage a supportive and collaborative team culture. There is no hierarchy, set targets or prescribed measure of success and we celebrate each other’s successes.

The start of the year can be a great time to reflect on where you were last year and where you want to be in a year’s time. If you have had your destination set for you by others is that where you want to go? Are you in control and do you have the team around you to support you in your journey?