Why We Work (W3) | Sweet & Sour Grapes: The Story of the Machine Tool Industry

(The Sweet Grapes)

Why do we work?

For recognition
To find solutions for apparent needs and wants
For feelings of accomplishment (personal achievement)
For fulfillment
For security (more than financial)
For team competition (as in athletics)
For enjoyment
For livelihood - family prosperity
For companionship (camaraderie)
To be a part of something
To gain skill and wisdom as we mature
To experience two way teaching and mentoring
For self esteem (dignity)
To be the best we can be
To feel ownership and responsibility
For the need to be vital
For independence (liberty)
For self determination
To experience success and failure (to mature)
To make a difference (make a mark)
For pride
For self expression (creativity)
To be challenged
For peace of mind
To create the things that make a difference in our time
To leave a legacy of things that matter
To exercise all human functionality for it’s growth, health and longevity
For the fulfillment of our dreams

Are these also not the things that set us apart from lower forms of life, things which cannot be given, purchased, legislated, or bequeathed, regardless of the heights of our affluence or the depths of our poverty? While it may not be thought of as an individual reward, isn’t progress for all humanity the ultimate reward for all of us? What would life today be like without our ancestors’ W3 mentality?

W3 is the chemical formula for Yankee ingenuity and for progress. It’s all healthy stuff and if we think about it, the best part is that achieving fulfillment enhances financial well-being as well. It appears that the musician experiences all of the above. Why shouldn’t we? Nothing could be more natural or logical. Shouldn’t our upbringing, particularly our formal schooling, focus the attention of youngsters on this, one of the most important lessons of life itself? It appears that many times it is approached very casually both in the home and in school environments.

Any company’s primary resource is its people. Realization of the promises of the “reasons they work” benefits the company and their coworkers as much as themselves. They become the most powerful attribute a company can have to succeed and prosper. It’s a “turned on” organization in contrast to some that are in fact “turned off” and experience the tragic waste of day-to-day empty drudgery. The “turned on” organization provides the best possible job security and facilitates Yankee ingenuity in the best possible way.