I want to take today’s discussion into a current working context with the Narayana Murthy’s quote “Love your job, but never fall in love with your company because you never know when the company stops loving you”.
The quote talks about different elements of your professional life, goals and value to a company. The big question revolves around commitment to a company or a value which promises to be an interesting context.
It seems like a strange word in today’s context. There are so many opportunities and challenges out there.
- The idea of 1 job for your entire life seems to have gone extinct. It appears like a context of the past and doesn’t seem to hold relevance anymore.
- On that note, what does this job commitment mean? Does it mean that you are willing to give your heart and soul to a company? Or, does it mean that you are in love with the idea of this job?
- How committed are you to this job? To what extent can you go for this job, the sacrifices you are willing to make?
- Does it reward you sufficiently for the hard work? Do you have adequate career progression points as you go further.
The moment you start answering these questions, a few more pop in to your head. In all fairness, you need to be thinking about this because no one else will do it for you.
When one of the largest business owners in the country – Narayana Murthy speaks about the difference between loving a job and loving a company, there is sense in giving it some thought.
Loving the job or company?
It does feel a bit strange coming from a person who runs a business empire. A natural inclination for someone like that would be to ensure there is employee loyalty and people falling in love with the company.
- There is no such thing called a selfless sacrifice – especially for a company
- A job provides you an opportunity to run your profession. It is great to fall in love with what you do for a living. You spend a good part of your life doing that.
- For a company, you are an asset, a valuable resource. Apart from that, speaking from a purely business sense, it doesn’t mean anything more. At times, you can also be a liability for a company. That becomes true when you hear about cases of redundancy, outsourcing, hiring freeze, etc.
- It is a practical world out there. The purpose of a business or a company is to serve its clients. Although it may like to take care of its employees, I am afraid you are on your own when it comes to your life.
The last point is perhaps the most important one. It is your life which is in question. You must have a greater control over it than the company which appoints you.
What matters the most to you?
If you go back to the basic questions
- Why are you doing this job?
- What do you like or not like about it?
- Are there any other companies or organisations which can offer you similar or better opportunities?
- What is the personal difference this company makes to you? Do you have alternatives to achieve the same goal?
If you look at these questions, the focus is inward. We are trying to question whether this job provides you the fulfilment you deserve and desire. There are a thousand companies out there and you can make real difference to them.
The reasons for staying with a company is not just because you love the idea of a brand. It must be because it makes sense to you. Ultimately, it is only you who you are trying to satisfy – no one else.
You conclusion?
With the above in mind, what do you think about this quote?
- Do you want to stay with a company just because you like it? Or does it meet your goals?
- The company is not doing you any favour. You are providing a service and being paid for it. Although loyalty is a good thing, there is a better gain in loyalty to yourself.
- Who would you rather fall in love with? There are multiple avenues to do a similar job. A company is just a company in the end. It is YOU who needs to be satisfied.
On that note, I open this topic for discussion and would love to know what you think about this quote from Narayana Murthy.
