Can you still remember the wording of the fairy tales of your childhood? Or those you might have read to your own children? Probably not, but we can all still reflect the morality of these stories. The narratives behind the fairy tales have a long-term effect and help us develop our own view of the world. That’s why we don’t forget them, once they have been internalized, for the rest of our lives.
This was the approach chosen by the two authors Christiane Brandes-Visbeck and Susanne Thielecke when they turned to New Work. Instead of creating explanatory theses and excluding definitions that are then ignored, they told stories of people living New Work for their book »Fit for New Work: How to succeed in the new world of work.« (only available in German). Among other things, they also tell my own story in the book.
That’s why on Thursday of this year’s Hamburg Social Media Week, I was one of five guests who were interviewed for their book and now invited to talk on the stage of the Altonaer Theater. Next to me were the former Netzpiloten columnist Nico Lumma, Stephan Grabmeier of Kienbaum, Ministry agency head Andreas Ollmann, and WorkGenius founder Daniel Barke.
These gentlemen and I have been interviewed for this book, and career consultant Svenja Hofert and strategy consultant Kerstin Hoffmann can best be learned by reading the book mentioned above. That’s not what it’s about now. Instead, I would like to review the few pieces of knowledge that we five talkative guests could share in this 50-minute conversation.
Lived expertise on New Work
Andreas Ollmann and Stephan Grabmeier emphasized that the Why must be clear from different points of view. Both employees and the company need to know what the purpose of their work is. Since New Work is about doing what you really want, you also have to find an employer with the same values. Otherwise, work feels like wasting time.
What you really want to do can be different and may change. Companies should also get more involved with lateral entrants through new work and the constant search for meaning. Daniel Barke starts there with his platform WorkGenius and brings qualified employees with companies together. An attempt to create better models for free work – self-determined and fair.
This becomes the basis of an economy coined by New Work, whether consciously after Frithjof Bergmann’s philosophy aligned or from an internal drive out, with a breeze life experience. Nico Lumma, a Managing Partner at the next media accelerator, reported on everyday work with startups. Young founders still need tips on using sunshine hours in Hamburg instead of just working, for example.
New Work is what you want yourself.
At the end of the panel discussion, I can say that we did not try to define what New Work is. Each of us had a different perspective on the podium, and we all argued from our very personal experiences. New Work has nothing to do with tables made of euro pallets or football tables, but with people who can decide for themselves how they want to work.
All Images: Social Media Week, Hamburg 2019
