In German, the same word, Beruf, means both “vocation” and “profession.”
This is also the case for us: working for the Works is a vocation.
It is not a “religious” matter: it is that we precisely look for People who feel called to work with us (the Latin verb vocare means just that, “to call”).
When we say that in Foundations people come to work out of vocation before they come to work, we mean that all collaborators must know, share and make their own the purpose, the charism of the Work.
Therefore, anyone who works for the Works is an Educator: that is the role, whatever his or her task. For to identify oneself with the charism of the Work means, inevitably, to consider it as a benchmark for one’s own human needs, and to propose it to anyone one encounters. To propose it not with a speech, of course, but by the way one approaches any aspect of one’s task.
Synthetically, we could say that we are all educators because we are all seriously engaged with the questions that move life.
The mystery of human existence lies not just in staying alive, but in knowing what we are living for.
(Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)
So that all this does not remain a pious intention, we have set up a very rigorous recruiting system. For if the vocation is one-to life as education-the skills and professionalism are many; and helping each person find “his or her place” fosters together the growth of the Person and the better development of the Works.
In addition, over time we have increasingly intensified the teamwork of those in charge. In fact, the risk that the problems of the task take precedence over the responsibility of the role is always present; working in teams and continually referring back to the charism is a method for this risk to be reduced, and the problems of the task to be addressed as far as possible in the light of the aims of the Works.
Finally, with regard to employee compensation, we have implemented a system called the Total Rewarding System, in which basic compensation related to the function is added to:
1. An achievement-related component that values the individual’s resourcefulness and responsibility;
2. A welfare component, which focuses on family-work reconciliation and is identical regardless of job classification, thus putting the Person rather than the job at the center.
VIDEO GALLERY
“One day Socrates was approached by a tormented man who said to him: “Listen Socrates, I have something important to tell you about your friend.”
“Wait a minute”, the wise man interrupted. “Have you sifted what you want to tell me through the three sieves?”
“Three sieves?” asked the other man astonished.
“Yes, my friend. Let’s see if what you want to tell me can be sifted through the three sieves.
The first sieve is that of the truth: are you convinced that everything you want to tell me is true?”
“Actually, no. I only overheard others saying it.”
“Well, surely you at least sifted it through the second sieve, the one of goodness? Even if what you want to tell me isn’t completely true, is it at least good?”
The man replied in hesitation: “I must confess that it is not, quite the contrary…”
“And did you think about the third sieve? Did you wonder what is the point of telling me these things about my friend? Is it useful for something?”
“Actually, no…”
“You see?”, continued the wise man. “If what you want to tell me isn’t true, isn’t good or useful, then I prefer not to hear about it and recommend that you forget it”.
Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior
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