Let's build cathedrals!
Peter Drucker felt that the goal of the organization must come first, so long as it is maintained with integrity.
More than fifty years ago, the famous management consultant Peter Ducker reported on the allegory of the three stonecutters.
According to Drucker, these three workers were approached and asked what they were doing. The first answered: "I'm earning a living by cutting stone." The second one didn't even look up when the question was asked. He continued to work, but immediately answered, "I'm doing the best job of cutting stone of anyone in my profession." The third worker had a visionary look on his face as he replied, "I'm building a cathedral."
Drucker wrote that we would get useful work from the first stonecutter. His philosophy was clearly something along the lines of a "fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay." Unless he changes his thinking, he is not a manager, and he has career limitations which he has placed on himself which he may not even understand. But as far as the project of building the cathedral goes, we can get useful work from him. Drucker also agreed that the third stonecutter was ideal both for the immediate job and for the future of the organization. This stonecutter also had potential a future manager.
However, Drucker thought that the second stone cutter was not only a problem, but was even potentially dangerous to the organization and the project. Of course good workmanship and good professionalism are essential in any organization and should be encouraged. However, there is a great danger, according to Drucker. This is that anyone proclaiming workmanship or professionalism as his primary goal did not put the goals of the organization first.
He might believe he was accomplishing something towards organizational goals when in fact, all he was doing was cutting stone, albeit to the best of his ability and in the best possible way. Drucker wrote that while workmanship should always be encouraged, it must always be related to the needs of the whole organization, and especially to the organization’s mission. The goal of the organization must come first, so long as it is maintained with integrity. Or to quote stonecutter number three in this instance, towards "building a cathedral."