I remember running to the back of the record store in Charlottetown, PEI, weaving through the aisles until I got to the ‘R’ section. Red Hot Chili Peppers. That was my choice.
Every May, my Dad would spend all of the air miles he accumulated over the year and take my family on a May long weekend trip somewhere in North America. We went from the Queen Charlotte Islands to Alaska, and the Maritime provinces in Eastern Canada down to St. Louis to see the Cards play ball. And on this trip, because there was a lot of driving, each member of my family of four got to pick out their favourite album that we could all listen to in the car as we navigated the eastern coastline of Canada.
I remember the smile on everyone’s faces when we approached the counter and Dad got ready to pay. In his hands was his favourite Nirvana album. Mom had Leonard Cohen, and my brother had Three Days Grace. Without thinking too much of what we picked, we walked out of the store ready to listen and drew straws for who would get to play theirs first.
While I’ve grown to like Nirvana quite a bit, the first listen of Kurt Cobain’s raspy screaming was not for me. Krist Novoselic didn’t quite tickle the bass guitar like Flea from RHCP, and the melody just wasn’t the same. Cohen was far too slow for me and didn’t bring back any of the ‘feels’ that it did for Mom, and Three Days Grace? Well, the look on Mom’s face when she turned back and looked at my brother in horror because of the lyrics made all of us laugh and his album be the one that didn’t last more than a couple of songs.
In hindsight, I find it peculiar that despite being the same family that lived in the same house for the entirety of mine and my brother’s lives, what we liked in terms of music was much, much different. How is it that we could have such different taste?
Fast forward today and my brother and I have wildly different skillsets and appreciate different working styles altogether. A great place to work for him might not be a great place to work for me and a great place to work for me certainly wouldn’t be a great place to work for him.
And that’s ok.
What we fail to realize is that thinking there is a true ‘best’ place to work is like saying there is a ‘best’ band or genre of music. There isn’t. While there may be a best for you and there may be a best for me, it is safe to say that there likely isn’t a best for us. And as a result, we have to be extremely careful when choosing a ‘best’ place to work.
Just this morning I look at Canada’s Top Places To Work according to Forbes. While Google topped the list, Hydro Quebec was number two. Would someone at Google want to work at Hydro Quebec? Maybe, but maybe not, too. Would someone at Hydro Quebec want to work at Google? Only maybe. If we keep saying there is a ‘best’, without understanding why it is best or who it is best for, who are we really serving?*
As we look to build tomorrow’s greatest places to work, consider that what is best for your people isn’t best for all people, and as a result, we have to understand what actions and behaviours are right for the people working there. After all, even a family of four might not agree on what a great place to work looks and feels like, let alone agree what the best genre of music is.
Questions to ponder:
- What does a ‘best’ place to work look like for you?
- What do you look to avoid when finding that next position?
- Where else might a ‘best’ not exist universally?
- How will my life change when I compare and compete less?
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