Food for Thought
Is CARPE DIEM in the workplace a good idea?
CARPE DIEM is one of the key concepts of the Pleasure pillar of MMAPPER. A concept that rarely leaves our learners indifferent, brings a sparkle to the eye of some, leaves others skeptical. A notion which for many doesn’t have a place in the workplace. Just as it had no place within the walls of the prestigious Welton academy in “Dead Poets Society”, A film that is a reference for ImpaQt in terms of pedagogical philosophy.
CARPE DIEM is a famous verse from the “Odes” of the Roman poet Horace (23 or 22 BC).
La formule complète est « Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero », littéralement « cueille le jour, et [sois] la moins crédule [possible] pour le [jour] suivant. It summarizes the text which precedes it where the poet seeks to persuade Leuconoé to take advantage of the present moment and derive all possible joy from it, without worrying about death.
Psychological studies on the subject demonstrate that an active carpe diem approach has two facets:
- – Focus on the present
- – Being aware of the value of each moment of our life, in connection with the awareness of the inevitability of our death.
However, this quote is often misinterpreted, and seen as an invitation to hedonism, to enjoy the present moment and satisfy immediate needs, without asking yourself any questions, hardly compatible with the serious and reasonable world of work.
However, Horace’s CARPE DIEM is associated with a notion of balance in pleasure that we find in MMAPPER with its cursor. CARPE DIEM is not “All play & no work”; it’s bringing touches of lightness and pleasure into our daily life, it’s tasting and savoring “the marrow of life”; for example, by offering and receiving gratitude and recognition from colleagues, or by taking the time to celebrate and savor individual and collective success.
It is also and above all an invitation to change our relationship with time.
The famous English translation “Seize the day” by Dr Keating invites us to be an actor of our life, to dare to seize opportunities without postponing them until tomorrow. In MMAPPER terms, CARPE DIEM is associated with both the Pleasure pillar and the Actor pillar. It’s about not wasting time dwelling on the past but learning from our past mistakes, and not worrying about the future but acting now to build it rather than postponing things until later.
Here are some examples of how it can be applied in the world of work: deciding to focus on a priority subject during a meeting where usually all subjects are quickly reviewed and actions postponed until later. Or organizing an “off” moment to connect with team members rather than promising to do it when the team will be less busy…which will probably never happen. It is not a question of not taking into account the constraints of the organization and the reality of the situation, but of not giving in to the system and constantly postponing the important things.
This is how an active individual and collective CARPE DIEM approach can allow a team to flourish and take on extraordinary challenges.
Remember and savor without moderation the enigmatic voice of Dr. Keating whispering to his students:
« Carpe…carpe…carpe diem….
Seize the day boys
Make your lives extraordinary ! »
