A Morning Job But Not a Morning Person

Do you consider yourself a morning person? The kind who jumps out of bed the minute the alarm goes off, or even wakes up before the alarm. Do you get up happy to start the day? I have to admit, this does not describe me. I would much prefer to stay up late reading and then sleep in the next day. Now, there are a few times when I am happy to wake up early and get up quickly—most when I’m getting ready to visit my granddaughters or to go on a trip.

I have a friend who has one of those jobs that require her to wake up at 5 am. For the 30-plus years we have been friends, she has never been a morning person. She had to drag herself out of bed for previous jobs. She didn’t answer the phone early in the morning because she was afraid she would agree to something crazy. I would never text her before 9. She just doesn’t love the morning.

But she happily gets up at 5 am these days. Why? Because she absolutely loves her job. She loves everything about this job. After years of working hard at jobs that felt like work, she now has a job that still is work but feels like fun. She feels like her efforts are valued. She feels seen and heard. She gets along very well with her coworkers and her supervisor. She loves the culture.

As Shakespeare said, “To business that we love we rise betimes, and go to’t with delight (Antony and Cleopatra).

Leaders might not be able to control all schedules or turn night owls into early birds. But they can take steps to help employees, team members, community members, and family members enjoy their days more. Leaders set the tone for the culture of organizations and teams. Positive, generous leaders create positive, generous environments. Those are the places that people want to come to, even if they have to arrive before the sun comes up.

Work doesn’t have to be easy, and it certainly won’t always be fun. Work can be hard and stressful and demanding. There are deadlines and cutbacks and irate customers. There are unfair practices. But work can still bring people joy and get them willingly out of bed in the morning. Leaders might not be able to change everything, but they can make people feel glad to be there.

What can leaders do?

• Value people. Value their contributions. Listen to them. Make sure all voices are heard.
• Respect everyone. Expect employees to respect each other. Make respect non-negotiable. No one deserves to be mistreated in any way.
• Be willing to have fun. Recognize that leadership doesn’t have to be serious and stoic all the time. People learn more and work well when they are having fun. Serious work can be done by people having fun.

Whether 400 years ago or today, remember you can create an atmosphere where “To business that we love we rise betimes, and go to’t with delight.”