7 Pieces of Wisdom from 7 Years as a Boo – Amy, Director of Happiness

I can hardly believe I’m typing this, but I’ve been a Boo for seven years. I’ve never voluntarily done anything for seven years – apart from parenting. As it happens, seven years is exactly half the age of Boo – I’ve been helping to shape the organisation for half its total existence.

I can hardly believe I’m typing this, but I considered not taking the gig. I was in a tricky emotional state, surrounded by uncertainty and was struggling to make decisions. What swung it was imagining how I’d feel if my worst enemy got the job instead of me. Good trick that.

The traditional materials linked to a seven year anniversary are copper (warmth, durability, prosperity and flexibility) and wool (warmth, security and comfort). This organisation has certainly given me that, alongside a great personal journey of growth and adventure.

7 Pieces of Wisdom from 7 Years at Boo

1. You can’t put a price on loyalty to your business.

You get that through compassion, generosity and above all trust. Front load these things, and the loyalty will quickly follow. Trust, compassion and generosity are not rewards for loyalty, they are the basic foundations of good leadership.

2. Meaning beats money.

Pay matters, but so does knowing your work matters. As long as you have enough, your happiness levels are boosted more by purpose, value alignment and a sense of the days of your life being well spent.

3. Choose the nurture that aligns with your nature.

You will on some level be shaped by your environment and the people alongside you. Choose both deliberately – and remember, being denied the freedom to be your authentic self is stressful.

4. There are no one-size-fits-all-rules for a positive workplace culture.

Who have you got? What do they care about? What are they brilliant at? How does everyone fit together? What are the real non-negotiables in your business? Cut anything else away that hampers the health and happiness of your people and watch your company blossom in unexpected directions.

5. Contentment is found in flow.

It’s a common belief that if we suddenly came in to money we’d have a brilliant time doing absolutely nothing. However, studies have found we rate our happiness levels as low when we are in a passive disengaged state. This applies as much for sitting on our couch doing nowt as it does for sitting on our commute. Productivity is found in that sweet spot between under-stimulation and overwhelm, and there’s a ‘biting point’ within that where – for a short while- everything feels effortless. That’s called flow. Being in a state of flow is one of the most contented feelings humans can experience.

6. So much is possible if you let go of how you think things should be.

To give three examples:

Most of us are paid for our time but loads of our activity could be task bound, not time bound. One creates pressure – the other creates ownership and autonomy.
Some people will work better in the office. The rest of us shine from afar.
We have been trained by rigid systems, to function in rigid systems. Notice what habits are the result of our conditioning – presenteeism, busyness, fear-based behaviour. What has been shaping you since school?

7. Networking gets a bad rep because people are doing it wrong.

Proper networking is not selling to strangers. It means making friends. Creating a community. Building the authentic connections from which we all thrive.

7 Pieces of Wisdom from 7 Years as a Boo – Amy, Director of Happiness