Ajay: Hello! Was that your son earlier inside your cabin?
Friend: Yeah, he has joined a media organisation. Today his first news story is out and he came to tell me that.
Ajay: Thats wonderful! You must be very proud.
Friend: It is no big deal. He is just a cub reporter as of now. Its a long road ahead of him.
Ajay: It sure is. But that doesnt mean the small wins are meaningless.
Friend: Yeah. But shouldnt your focus be on the larger goal?
Ajay: How do you reach the larger goal without enjoying the everyday work and the small progresses you make? We humans always look for a purpose and its very important for our productivity that we feel we are doing meaningful work.
Friend: Thats true.
Ajay: Do you know what Steve Jobs pitch to John Sculley was to rope him in as Apples new CEO?
Friend: No
Ajay: Before Apple, Sculley was the President of PepsiCo. Apparently Jobs asked him if he wanted to spend the rest of his life selling sugared water or if he wanted a chance to change the world. PepsiCo is a very reputed company, no doubt about that. But what Jobs did was aim for that time immemorial quest of humans for meaning.
Friend: I get your point.
Ajay: You may be a father or a team leader or an entrepreneur. Its very important on your part to let your son or colleagues or employees know how much their work is contributing. Its normal for people to get demotivated and feel the work they are doing is nothing. Its your job then to show them how much value they add through the work they do everyday and make them feel that the small progresses and the little wins matter.