The Future of the Workforce
Aaron Hurst
Founder US Chamber of Connection, Taproot Foundation, Board.Dev & Imperative
At 24, Tatiana was promoted from sales representative to head of the sales department at her company. She quickly saw up to 50% annual growth in each region she focused on. She built strong relationships with her colleagues and clients around the world.
After three years on the job, Tatiana wanted new challenges. She loved working with her clients in Latin America and saw an opportunity to expand their business in the region while creating a challenge for herself.
She petitioned her CEO for permission to work from Latin America for three months so she could learn Spanish and get to know her clients in the region better. He said “no.”
One year later, Tatiana quit. Faced with growing frustration of how her company was being run, she saved up and took a year off from work to travel in Latin America, learn Spanish, and volunteer. The company hired a new sales lead with an impressive résumé. He focused on advancing his career rather than on the relationships with his clients and team. And ultimately, he was not as successful.
Who is your Tatiana?
Workplace science has recently helped us understand why Tatiana succeeded and the new hire failed. We now know why certain people thrive, and the pitfalls of the ambitious ladder climber. In the process, this field of study is turning management and human resources on their heads.
Think: who is the most valuable member of your team or organization? Who is the person who consistently not only performs but brings everyone else up in the process? Who could you lose and see the team take a major hit? Seriously, think of someone.
What is it that primarily motivates them? Is it money? Promotion? Creating value?
When asked to identify the most valuable members of their organization, people tend to point to individuals who are not motivated by money or promotion but who focus on impact and fulfillment at work. They are focused but always looking for ways to add value. These are the people we want on our team–people like Tatiana.
Purpose-Oriented Workers Are Exceptional
According to a study recently released by Imperative, 42 million people in the US workforce are purpose-oriented–they prioritize meaning over money or status.
Contrary to popular perception, purpose-driven professionals are not all teachers and social workers. They are accountants, lawyers, assistants, salespeople and janitors. The study shows that purpose-oriented workers are the highest performers and most generous members of our communities regardless of job function or level.
However, the vast majority of employers don’t design their recruiting and management programs to attract and empower these purpose-driven people. While a desire for purpose is proving to be the most valuable trait for employee well-being and the bottom line, it is still ignored by recruiters.
While purpose-driven workers are the silent majority driving our new economy, our human resources, professional development and management are not built for them. We are still assuming that money, advancement and ego are the drivers of our workforce and, by extension, our economy. It is time to refocus the lens of recruitment and management towards the Tatianas of the world for the betterment of our people, our businesses, and our economy.
This article originally appeared on Imperative. Click here to take our Purpose assessment to find your Purpose Type (It's free!).
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Aaron Hurst is CEO of Imperative. He is also the founder of the Taproot Foundation and author of The Purpose Economy. Follow him on Twitter:@Aaron_Hurst.
Other recent articles by Aaron Hurst:
- For Your Next Hire, Discriminate on Purpose. Here's Why.
- A Free Alternative to Graduate School
- 4 Reasons You Need a Mentor in 2016
- New Data: Which Industries Attract the Best Talent?
- 5 People to Never Hire
- My Journey to Measure What Matters at Work
- 5 Types of Bad Bosses to Avoid
- The Important Career Decision Most People Get Wrong
- Three Signs It's Time to Leave Your Job
- The Secret of Google and Amazon's Most Successful Employees
- 12 Key Lessons From the Latest Workplace Research
Career advisor for young people, with influence for change, a heart to care and passion to inspire
9 年Purpose is the new thing I find for the New Year. Thank you Aaron for inspiring me to think harder about purpose.
Managing Director | Chief Revenue Officer | SaaS | Sales | Customer Success | Partner Channels | B2B | AI | GRC | ERP | ESG | HCM |
9 年Workforce planning, has become an increasingly sophisticated area of practice and more and more organisations are using it to outmaneuver their competitors. See how best practice organisations actually do it here - https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/how-retain-mission-critical-employees-simon-berglund Simon Berglund Helping organisations improve their human capital management practices
HR Program Coordinator - REMOTE / University of Washington / Department of Family Medicine / MEDEX Northwest
9 年Love to see your articles, Aaron. It was such a pleasure to have worked with you in the past. Hope all is well :)
Guiding Impact Driven Business
9 年Great insight Aaron Hurst. When businesses are designed from the bottom up to make an impact they'll naturally recruit a purpose driven team. When leaders who recognize that the responsibility to build a purpose driven business is as much about teaching those principles as it is about applying them we will have reached a tipping point toward a Purpose Economy