Does Your Company Truly Value Meaning in Your Work?
Simon Sinek's The Optimism Company
Every day is an opportunity to inspire someone.
In this edition, we'll uncover how to spot if your employer is serious about providing meaningful work, learn valuable life lessons from Sylvester Stallone, and discover one skill you can take from one of the NBA's winningest players.
It’s no secret that one of the biggest culprits behind burnout and unhappiness in American corporate life is having a busy job that feels meaningless. Study after study over the years has shown that jobs lacking any sense of purpose not only leave people emotionally drained, but also make them feel anxious, disconnected, and downright bored. But here's the interesting little spark of optimism: it seems like workers are taking matters into their own hands.
Back in 2017, a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that a lot of folks are willing to take a pay cut if it means they can have a job that brings them greater fulfillment. A year later, the Harvard Business Review reported that a whopping 9 out of 10 workers would gladly trade higher pay for work that gives them a stronger sense of purpose. (They even went as far as saying that "meaning is the new money.") More recently, a McKinsey study found that 70% of employees consider work a defining factor in their personal sense of purpose, which in turn drives both commitment and performance.?
Simultaneously, more and more companies are actively promoting their higher purpose. For instance, Warby Parker isn’t just an eyeglasses maker. It’s a business built on the mission that everyone deserves the right to see and gives away millions of glasses to people who can’t afford them. Starbucks, beyond being a coffee company, says its true cause is “to nurture and inspire the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
These observations got us thinking: Are enough companies genuinely making efforts to attract and retain talent by offering meaningful work? Is your organization genuinely committed to helping you find great meaning and purpose in your role? It is worth noting that researchers have identified a phenomenon known as "purpose-washing ," where companies make empty claims about individual, social, or environmental missions solely to enhance their reputations or recruit talent.?
These questions really hit home for us at The Optimism Company because helping people uncover their purpose, or their "WHY," and live lives driven by meaning is at the very heart of who we are. In fact, we've defined our purpose, or what we call our "Just Cause ," as follows: "We envision a world where the majority of people wake up each morning feeling inspired, safe wherever they are, and go to bed fulfilled by the work they do. And we believe that the best way to bring this world to life is by committing to build it together."
Now, if you’re committed to finding meaning in your work, we recently came across an interesting article by two professors from King's College London who shared some tell-tale signs that your own organization is genuinely invested in helping you find purpose in your work. If you're interested, you can read the full article here , but we found a few of their "green flags" particularly insightful, so we wanted to share them with you right here:
The Five Green Flags
Regarding the last point, the professors write, "Simply giving purpose-driven workers autonomy isn't enough: performance indicators and reward systems must also reflect the efforts to bring about change, while also providing opportunities for you and your colleagues to voice and develop a shared vision." If you're curious about exploring your own purpose as a professional, you might find Simon's process for finding your WHY quite helpful. You can read about it here .
Let us know your thoughts about the relationship between purpose and work in the comments below.
A Spark of Optimism from a Hollywood Star in the “Hope Business”
If you've ever felt like your limitations are holding you back in your career or struggle with feelings of inadequacy, we've got a recommendation that might just inspire you. Take 90 minutes and check out the newly released Netflix documentary "Sly" about the life and career of Hollywood legend Sylvester Stallone. It doesn’t matter if you're a fan of 80s action movies or you’re a sucker for 90s nostalgia, Stallone's story is one of triumph and staying true to your purpose. Honestly, it left many of us deeply moved.
Among the details revealed in the documentary is that the entire Rocky franchise came into existence because Stallone, who was often typecast as a “thug” with few lines, wrote the script for himself when he couldn't land a leading role. He was even offered hefty sums of money not to play the part after his script was well-received. At every turn of his career, Stallone—admittedly a very complicated man—continually embraced both his weaknesses and his strengths as he created the life he wanted with unwavering determination.?
At the end of the film, the 77-year-old Stallone sums it up by saying, "I'm in the hope business." He believes in happy endings, and so do we. So, if you're looking for a boost of optimism and a reminder that you can overcome obstacles, give "Sly" a watch.
A Quick Note About Gratitude Week!
Today marks the beginning of our third-annual Gratitude Week at The Optimism Company . This year, we’ve got our three bestselling products—the Art of Presenting, Find Your WHY, and the Optimism Library—on sale for 35% off for exactly one week only. Check out the details right here .
The Overlooked Skill That’s More Important Than Leadership
Shane Battier may not be a name that resonates as loudly as some of basketball’s greatest icons, but he is one of the most successful players in NBA history. Battier was a huge star in college, securing the defensive player of the year title three times and leading Duke University to a national championship in 2001, while also earning national player of the year honors that same year. However, his NBA career took a different turn.
He transitioned from being a “star” to a humble “role player.”
But a clear pattern emerged as his career progressed. Regardless of which team he played for—the Memphis Grizzlies, the Houston Rockets, or the Miami Heat—Shane Battier’s teams kept winning. “Here we have a basketball mystery,” wrote author Michael Lewis, famous for his books The Blind Side, Moneyball, and Liar’s Poker, in The New York Times . “[Here] a player is widely regarded inside the NBA as, at best, a replaceable cog in a machine driven by superstars. And yet every team he has ever played on has acquired some magical ability to win.”
Lewis further explained, “Battier’s game is a weird combination of obvious weaknesses and nearly invisible strengths. When he is on the court, his teammates get better, often significantly, and his opponents get worse—often significantly.”
In a recent episode of A Bit of Optimism , Simon discusses Battier’s unique skills and what the rest of us can learn from him. “Leadership is a well-understood and emphasized concept,” notes Simon, “while teammateship often goes unnoticed.”
Battier concurs, stating, “When I talk about teammateship, it doesn’t roll off the tongue easily. And that strikes me as odd because it’s a central aspect of our experiences as individuals, as workers, as family members, as members of a community, you name it. It’s what makes us human. So, I feel strongly about shedding light on how to be a great teammate. We may not consciously think about it every day, but it’s intertwined in everything we do.”?
To hear Battier’s full conversation with Simon, simply click here .?
More Useful Stories from The Optimism Company:
Experienced Senior Executive in Strategic and Operational levels
7 个月Every organization needs this level of clarity that ties the purpose of the organization to the individual activities of its employees to keep the fire of motivation going.
Senior Associate Structural engineer at Dar al-handasah ,ME, PMP, VMP
10 个月Shadi Al Ariss
Managing Director, Delivery, CXO Connect | Preparing Snr Managers for the C suite | Strategy & Tactics | Leadership | Successful Communications | Building Relationships |WOFuture ASEAN Judge | SCS Supply Chapter Member
11 个月Hi Simon, we certainly do. Were a small organisation doing amazing work CIO Connect Pte Ltd which is harnessing the expertise of some really great people to share with some other really great people who are starting to move to the top of the Technology profession. We make real impact on people's professional lives and we can measure that impact in their increased confidence, knowledge and promotions. We are a collaborative virtual organisation and punch far above our weight in the clients that we have and the people's careers we have helped. It's only when we find our purpose, and are able to fulfill that in our lives are we truly happy. The other area that inspires me is an organisation called Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia where I am a judge in ASEAN. Women under the age of 36 who have done inspiring things in about 14 or 15 categories and all have powerful stories to tell. This fills my soul every year. What was I doing at 18 or 26? Started many years ago in the UK its grown there and in ASEAN with the newly emerging countries. These women are entrepreneurs, fighters for equality where their lives are at risk, professionals breaking glass ceilings. They are in the hope busines.