There are some people who picture their work like being on a cruise ship. Cruise ship people believe they are entitled to a vast array of comforts and conveniences. They expect the food to be exceptional, their needs to be catered to and the overall experience to very pleasant. When things aren’t the way they expect it to be they whine and complain. “This isn’t what I wanted.”  “It’s not supposed to be like this.”

When things get difficult – perhaps the seas get rough, people get sick and some hardship sets in – they are quick to declare, “This isn’t what I signed up for!”

All of this is a ‘rights-oriented’ perspective. “I have paid for this, so I better get what I want.” “I do this, so you do that.” There tends to be a huge sense of entitlement which accompanies this perspective – at any level of an organization. This rights-oriented sense of entitlement can exist at the ownership level, management level and on the front lines of any organization.

However, those who picture their work like they are on a battleship have a completely different perspective. Like those who serve on battleships, they expect difficulty. They expect hardship. They expect food and conditions to be adequate, but do not demand them to be exceptional. The purpose for being on the ship is not their self-gratification, their personal happiness or their personal pleasure. No, the purpose for being on the ship is the mission – to fight for freedom from the oppressor.

Those on a battleship do not expect to be served, they expect to serve. They know there are some who give orders and some who to take orders. They are not demanding comfort and convenience, but are choosing courage, character, commitment and conviction. When they are called to “man their battle stations’ and take their place in the conflict, they are quick to do their duty out of a commitment to each other, their leader and the mission in which they are engaged.

Those who have responded to the call to serve on a battleship do not have a ‘rights-oriented’ perspective. No, they have a ‘responsibility-oriented’ perspective. “I am called to serve, so I will inconvenience myself and lay my life down for the greater good.”

What drastically different perspectives on the story of our lives and our work.

Sadly, many people in business have bought into the mindset that life/work is supposed to be a cruise ship. “It’s all about my comfort and convenience and how I can benefit – what I get out of it as opposed to what I am contributing.” It’s this kind of thinking that leads to gross inefficiencies and inequities in the workforce, and gross mismanagement at the leadership level.

A far more beneficial mindset is to see our work like serving on a battleship. We are called to fight for the benefit of others through the service or product that we provide. We must recognize the higher purpose of the work we do – how we are contributing to the greater good. The nature of the “mission” we are on.

Most organizations have established their “mission statement”. With that in hand, how do we now man our battle stations to sacrificially serve the greater good of our customers? How do we work together to fight against the forces that oppose us from accomplishing our objectives? What are the forces that oppose us from magnificently accomplishing our mission? How do we measure and celebrate victory in our endeavors? How do we continue to motivate the troops to stay focused on and sacrificially serve the mission for the greater good of our customers and their fellow combatants?

It all comes down to leadership. The leader sets the tone for the troops. Establish a mission that is inspiring – that somehow contributes to the greater good. Lead sacrificially is such a way that demonstrates that you are not there for your own personal privilege; you are there to serve others and empower them to be all that they can be.

Equip, engage and inspire “the troops” to see the mission of their mandate, and understand the significance of their contribution to the customer and the team. Establish and measure what “victory’ looks like for the individual and the organization. Then, celebrate your victories and learn from your losses.

Exceptional organizations engage in ‘battleship business’ for the benefit of the customer and combat the ‘cruise ship culture’ at every level of the organization.