Yes, you can read the title in two ways. “Be in a good company” or “Be in good company”. But shouldn’t it be the same? Shouldn’t being in a good company also mean being in good company? As much has been written and discussed on how to master work-life-balance, work-life-integration, worklife-harmony or simply life harmony, the word “company” itself may actually give us the answer.
The word “company” originates from the Late Latin word “companio”, which again has its roots in “con panem”, literally meaning “with bread”. Those were the days where people set around, sharing a bread over fellowship. The meaning of “company” evolved over time from fellowship to friendship, relationship and society in a larger sense. Eventually, it became synonym to the corporate company as “business associates”, meaning people doing business together. Meanwhile, we have become so busy doing business that we forgot about the origins of “company”, maintaining good relationships.
So, double up your “company”: In a good company, people enjoy working time in good company – and life harmony comes automatically.
Being “in good company” defines a good company culture, and as Peter Drucker said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.
In our constant strive for high performance in WHAT we are doing, we should never leave out of sight the way HOW we are doing things. The things WHAT we are doing, like services, products or giving speeches, can be copied easily; not so however the way HOW we are doing things, which is defining our culture and character based on our behavior.
Culture is the glue of a company. A people-centric culture based on mutual trust and respect works like superglue. People working in a high-trust culture, being valued for behavior rather than just performance, are longing less for fun@work because they work@fun. It is not so much about the fancy pantries and extra perks, but doing meaningful work in an environment of trust and empowerment.
Leaders create cultures – and a great culture is the best competitive advantage.
© ATvisor™; Picture Source: Pinterest
