I was in a meeting once and in in the midst of several conversations about a topic, a colleague respectfully asked “What’s the point?”. That question re-oriented the conversations to the purpose of the meeting. Sometimes, I think we lose sight of what we’re trying to accomplish in the first place because we are too busy focusing on the details or get distracted with the tools that we use.
One topic that could benefit from someone asking “what’s the point?” is the use of technology in education. Introducing technology in the classroom because it seems everyone’s doing it or it seems exciting is probably not the wisest decision to make. What makes sense is to use technology to enhance or support the teaching/learning process.
In our work, losing sight of our role and how we contribute towards the goals of companies/institutions can lead to siloed thinking or distorted view that other folks should serve us, instead of providing service to others. Sometimes, we need to be reminded of “what’s the point?” — why we do what we do? Effective leaders can provide context of why we do what we do and how we fit into the larger picture
Next time you get frustrated or feeling unmotivated at your job, maybe you should gently ask yourself “what’s the point of what I do? What is it that I contribute?” I hope in asking these question, you do find some good reasons as to why you do what you do.