When It Comes to Work, Are We All in the Same Boat?

by Wendy Brtalik

Several weeks ago, I was standing on the shore of a lake when a neighbor walked up and we began to chat. Throughout the conversation, the neighbor mentioned a tidbit he believed about boats—that the two best days of owning one are the day that you buy the boat and the day that you sell it.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I was sitting around a campfire with several members of my family, chatting about life. When the topic of work inevitably came up, one of my cousins commented that the two best days of any job are the day that you get hired. . . and the day that you ultimately leave that job. Just like the boat!

Many sitting around the campfire that day nodded in agreement, chuckling at the thought, and there was an overwhelming feeling of unity in the comment. Additional comments were shared about unfulfilling jobs, leaders who don’t respect or care about their team’s time, lackluster communication resulting in bickering and time wasted, expected outcomes that were never shared. . . the list goes on.

Ultimately, this conversation got me thinking—what if that weren’t the case? What if we worked in environments that we weren’t desperate to get out of? Could we find a way to maintain that “first day” excitement of getting the job (or buying the boat)?

While this may seem difficult, it is not impossible. If we can take a step back from trying to continually solve individual problems, we can lean into the actual creation of environments that we all want to be a part of—ones that include healthy workplace cultures, flexibility, open and honest conversations, clear goals and individualized rewards. 

What if an environment existed where we can fully embrace and enjoy the wind blowing through our hair out on the open water, rather than focusing on the day we sell?