ON OUR MINDS

 

We’ve learned these powerful truths

Internal cultures that nurture brand esteem, talent and possibility equals good company

Positive mindshare is money

People who love an experience want to tell that great story

The Art of the Corporate Alchemist

“I’m going to help you turn metal into gold.” That’s what the alchemists said. And it’s not an idea to be dismissed lightly, even with our advanced knowledge of chemistry and of what’s possible in the world today. Because while the literal promise — turning base products into gold — is impossible, the promise itself still serves as a resonant metaphor. It’s the promise we make when we take a job, when we attend a class, when we start a family. We’re saying: “I’m going to make something better out of the resources I’m given. I’m going to add value.”

Alchemists performed a second function through the ages, and this one had nothing to do with “paying the bills,” or securing patronage from wealthy royals. They existed to transform souls. Like Benedictine monks with their seven daily rituals of devotion — repeating external gestures to gain inner enlightenment — alchemists, returning obsessively to the purifying fires, began to sense a change in themselves. Their efforts to create material wealth became, simultaneously, a spiritual exercise.

I’m going to suggest that the same thing is possible at work and in life. Balancing the need to produce “results” with the need to find meaning, beauty, love, and happiness. The industrial model of work told us “business isn’t personal,” and that your heart and passion are for the weekend. The new hybrid work model provides flexibility and improved “work-life balance”. However, there is no work, and life. There’s just life — and work is a part of that life.

An older model — the alchemic model — suggests we can do both at once. That once we’re immersed in the discipline of meaningful transformation, we can’t help but do both at once.

This is the art of the corporate alchemist. It's the art of having it both ways. Of doing right and doing well. Of justifying your position economically, without losing sight of your greater purpose (and vice versa). 

It's an art we're all capable of, so long as we stay mindful and learn to ask the right questions. It’s about balancing — a daily practice — and not the elusive goal of a static state of balanced.

— Sherry Harris

Podcast: Creating Cultures of Excellence with Sherry Harris

Sherry was a guest on episode 34 of Chris Colbert’s podcast Insert:Human.

She shares many insights including:

  • Why words matter, building a company vocabulary and attracting talent

  • Who has the power and where new ideas come from

  • Approaching branding and people strategies from the inside out

  • Tips for creating an internal culture from scratch

  • Turning your story around and how to make your culture more innovative

  • Ensuring understanding and shifting expectations and responsibilities

  • The new era of leadership that is emerging as businesses and teams operate remotely

  • Reimagining the workplace, practices, and policies in response to COVID