Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/120608
Formula continuedfrom page 39 may be, for instance, the kind of euphoria we experience at a great rock concert or after exceptional sex, at work it is more often connected with the creation of something original: designing a new kind of ergonomic desk chair, discovering a new way to isolate and destroy viruses, delivering a giant project early and under budget, or creating the next Simpsons. In short, moments of peak happiness at work often involve some aspect of the creative process. The Creative Connection "There have been in my career a handful of times when I had what I call true happiness – where who I was at that time felt in harmony with what my company did and was about," says Tom Harbeck, who is today senior vice president for strategy and marketing at OTX, a consumer research firm. And Tom connects his professional happiness during those times with a few key factors: working for a company where there was "a team of people who 'got it,'" where everyone felt plugged into some larger vision and shared the goal of making the mission come to life. Tom is talking about the collective experience of flow, the happiness derived from face-to-face, day-to-day social connection with other seriously engaged people on the same wavelength. One of Tom's times of peak joy was when he worked at the Chiat-Day advertising agency in the 1980s. "The culture was so intensely alive," he says, "that you couldn't separate the [agency's] slogans from the employees who wore them on their T-shirts. 'Good enough is not enough,' 'I'd rather be the pirates than the navy,' 'How big can we get before we get bad?' It was a culture that thrived on scrutiny, debate, evaluation, and criticism – all aimed at the work, not at each other." Tom was fortunate to find work that tapped into his inner passions. "I was a poetry major," he says, "who had no training in advertising or marketing, in the midst of an organization creating an advertising revolution." Chiat-Day's 1984 Apple ad redefined buzz and event advertising after only one run. Nike's "real athletes" billboards took a 180-degree turn from celebrity sports spokespeople. And the firm's NYNEX Yellow Pages ad, "If it's out there, it's in here," charmed the entire country. Despite Tom's inexperience, his bosses listened to what he had to say and considered it (not him) against the goal of improving the agency's work, making it closer to great. It turned out that his English-major poetry training – finding and feeling the meaning given an economy of words used freshly – was highly relevant to creating ads. Advertising was intended to make you think and feel something, not unlike poetry. "So despite no prior experience," Tom says, "who I was and what I knew and what I was good at, at that precise moment in my life, was valued. I was happy. When it happens, it is tremendous – you cannot believe they actually pay you to show up at your desk; you are giddy." ● A diesel engine goes down. Work Stops. But not for long. For 60 years, we've manufactured high-quality replacement parts for major US engines and heavy-duty applications. Quick order response gets you up and working fast. Call us. 1-800-321-4234. ©2012 Interstate-McBee IDA UNIVERSAL March-April 2013 41