Busy like a bee

This time of year in Cape Town from late August to early September we have a burst of color, as the flowers start to bloom all along the coast. It only blooms this time and there is a two weeks time frame where the flowers are spectacular! People from all over the world travel here to see the flowers. This year we are smack bang in the middle of the water crisis but luckily the flowers are still beautiful. In my own garden small purple flowers have sprung up from the lawn and this attracts the bees – another nature miracle that plays such an important part in our eco system. This morning I was looking at the bees all happy and the first thing that popped into my head was the saying “working like a bee”. I was wondering where this came from – I mean they obviously work hard – but we have assigned a human trait to nature. The fancy word for this is called Anthropomorphism – assigning human traits, emotions,

and intentions on animals. Bees (I think) don’t view moving from one flower to the next as work – it is just something they have to do to survive. George Orwell in his brilliant book Animal farm showed how we project these human traits to animals really brilliantly. Working with clients in the career coaching space, I know that a lot of clients have huge wobbles in their careers. They get stuck, they work with really awful collogues, they sometimes work in very real toxic environments from an emotional stance.  As a coping mechanism a lot of clients would say to me when I ask why do we work – and most would say something along the lines of we work because we have to survive – just like the bees this morning.

Whilst I truly believe we do need to work to survive – whether that is for ourselves or our corporates – a lot gets lost in translation. People are miserable in their careers for a reason. People get bored, personality dramas play out daily in the world. People stress. They get sick, they literally work themselves to the bone. Hoping and chasing that ever elusive “enough” statement.

From my perspective, there are three things we can learn from bees in our careers.

1. 1)      I am almost 100% sure bees don’t have a need for security. When we let go of the need for security something really amazing shifts. Please don’t get me wrong. Its, of course, important for you to build your security. But letting go of that need for security sends out a completely different vibe. Let me explain. We all have to work – and it's an important part of our makeup as humans. In a scares economy and a constant insecurity the only and best way is - through - change. What I mean with that, is that you have to go through the motions of change. You can't ignore it. You have to be really vulnerable and open yourself up to let new opportunities in. When we have a need for security we become desperate. We will do almost anything in that state of mind, the only problem is we will be absolutely miserable not long after that. Desperation can and will also create great new avenues for a career. Putting your trust however in others to provide you with a sense of security is risky if not downright stupid. Do you know how many people get retrenched per year? Do you know how many businesses just don’t make it per year? People get fired. People don’t make money. Corporates can't provide you with security. It all boils down to you. YOU are the person that needs to provide YOU with security. Not others. Let go of the need for security from others.
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3. 2)      Bees don’t seek affection or favor. This is a very important lesson, especially for corporates. If you operate or manage others form the basis of affection and favor I have some very bad news for you. If you need affection and attention in the workplace, I can guarantee you that people will misuse that to their benefit. It's sounds horrible I know, but insecurity is the basis of the need for affection – people must like me kind of attitude. So people will bend over backward for a boss so the boss will just “like them” and they give away all their power to this person, that over most cases, are just not that into you. People that have the need for attention can attest to this when they move away from the organization – they get a new job – and after a while, they are dumbfounded just how little that person they reported to really care. The relationship ended the day they moved out of the organization. A lot of career growth can happen the day you realize you need to let go of the need for affection from co-workers.
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5. 3)      Bees don’t try and control a situation. I am from the generation that has witnessed “The art of war” in every respectable manager's arsenal of weapons – corporates are seen as a war zone. It is still one of the most downloaded books of our time. Why is that? War tactics have one big appeal – they teach how to control situations. As humans, we sometimes have a big need to control things when they are uncontrollable. We build process, we build mechanism, all to control a situation. It doesn’t work from a human capital perspective. Your need to control everything will backfire. Why? Because things always change. Let go of trying to control situations in your career which are uncontrollable.

If you have any of these needs you most likely operate out of fear, and you can't be your best when you operate out of fear.  The basis of fear triggers very specific hormones in our bodies. It means we are constantly stressed and we all know the dangers to our health for being constantly stressed.

Try letting go of your need for security, for affection and to control things in your career. Seek assistance where possible. I am a firm believer in feeling your way out of things, our guts lets us know what is right and what is not. Just like bees that can feel the way to the next flower, and still get home.