Our piano tuner came yesterday.

We always had pianos when I was growing up and as a kid I was fascinated by watching—and listening—to him work.

I liked the dedicated tool kit he had, with all the specialty tools.  The octave and chord and note sequences he’d play during the tuning.

Most of all, I was captivated by the magic of his craft, the combination of art and technique.  Yesterday was no different.

Bob (that’s his name, my current tuner) and I had a great conversation.  He loves dogs and my two dogs, who are usually very energetic, were quite calm around him.  He told me wherever there are dogs when he’s tuning, they act like he came there just for them.  It must be interesting, driving around to different homes, working on different pianos, seeing the owners every six or twelve months.  Seeing their dogs.  

I really appreciate the craft that goes into work like Bob’s.  I suppose there’s an advantage in paying attention to craft in work that has an immediate and tangible outcome.  I appreciate being able to do home improvement and woodworking and art projects for that reason;  it’s a good counterpoint to a lot of the work I do in my day jobs.

It can be harder, I think, to connect to the craft of our work when it’s intangible and intellectual, like a lot of leadership and managerial and technology and consulting work.  Yet even in these less tangible areas, our craft is worth our attention.  Writing, a well-run meeting, a coaching or mentorship session, even a worthy powerpoint deck.

Good craft promotes good outcomes—and good energy, during the work.