You don’t have to be a soldier to serve

Firstly, I have an admission – I am a very late adopter to the whole podcast/audiobook bandwagon. However, recently (like 3 days ago) I finally got with the program and am now loving having access to so much amazing content straight from my phone to my brain!

So, tonight, while I was clocking up my 10,000 steps as part of our #wattsnextwellness focus, I listened to a great podcast in conversation with Jonathan Fields and Simon Sinek in which they discussed a number of different concepts and ideas but what particularly resonated with me was when Sinek was explaining his view on fulfilment.

Sinek believes that fulfilment comes when you are of service to those who serve others. To highlight this view, he retold a particular story of a time when he was speaking to an Emergency Department doctor, who was also an army reservist, who was assisting in the care of soldiers being transferred back to the US from Afghanistan. The doctor had explained that there was no comparison between the level of fulfilment he felt in his role in the army versus his ‘day job’ treating patients in ED. Being able to serve those who literally put their lives on the line for his country gave him more fulfilment than he could have imagined.

In fairly stark comparison, I was recently asked (via Twitter – @wattsnextKat) what I would say is my favourite thing is about being a HR Advisor. Without hesitation, I responded that it was to develop managers and work with them to implement initiatives into their organisations to create awesome cultures and places for their teams.

While I don’t aim to draw similarities between my work, and that of emergency department doctors working with the army, I can see the parallels in what I find most fulfilling in my role and that of the reservist doctor. At wattsnext our mission is to Make Great Workplaces, we do this so that the positivity people feel at work will flow out into their evenings, their families, and their communities. By providing our clients with great service, that enables them to serve their employees in a positive way, we are changing their world – and that feels great!

Podcast – The Good Life Project – Simon Sinek: Serve Those Who Serve Others [Best Of]