Hot Topic: Purpose

In my November newsletter and my latest article, I talked about the importance of psychological safety for engaging staff effectively. But no matter how safe they feel, staff won’t stick around if there’s a disconnect between their own sense of purpose and that of the wider organization.

Previous generations often thought of purpose at work as a bonus, or something that only a lucky few received. For our parents and grandparents, it was about just being grateful to have a paycheck. But we live in a different world. Workers have new expectations, and they crave a true sense of purpose.?

Here’s the thing about purpose: you can’t fake it. Our sense of purpose is so integral to who we are that partnerships often fail when purpose doesn’t align.

After all, do we stay in other relationships where goals or values diverge? Friendships? Volunteer groups? Book clubs? When we sense that a group we’re in is headed in a drastically different direction, it’s often only a matter of time before the breakup.??

Some leaders are afraid of having conversations about purpose with employees. I think some of them know that deep down, wider organizational initiatives and values may not be aligned with staff’s individual goals and vision. Pepper in the current economic anxieties, layoffs, RTO battles, political climate and it’s understandable that employees are feeling tepid about the possibility of true alignment on purpose.

To be fair, talking about purpose can be tricky. But so is trying to fill positions when great employees leave.

So how do we go about this??

At some level, whether it’s informal or part of more structured reviews and evaluations, managers need to dig into purpose. Revisit the purpose of the work, the purpose of the organization, and the purpose of the teams that employees are on. And staff should be clear about this: no one should be in the dark about team purpose or organizational purpose.

Individually, managers need to develop a sense of true curiosity about individual purpose for each person on their teams. Ask yourself: do you really know what excites your team? Do you really know what ignites a sense of purpose in them? Do you know the details in projects that help them connect to their inner compass? Do you know what they value and how those values align with their work?

Leaders need to encourage staff to think about their own purpose, and honestly assess if their purpose aligns with their work. Don’t be afraid if there is misalignment, because identifying that is the first step towards re-engaging workers. You have way more to gain than to lose here!

I loved when Angela Duckworth said, “At its core, the idea of purpose is the idea that what we do matters to people other than ourselves.” Do your employees feel like what they do actually makes a difference? Does your staff feel like their work is valued?

At companies that occupy a niche related to purpose, this alignment in purpose is often simpler. Take Patagonia for example: their purpose goes beyond making nice clothes—they want to save the planet. Having a moon-shot purpose like that can serve as a unifier between staff and management because everyone knows where they are aiming.??

If your organization is not explicitly purpose-driven like Patagonia, that doesn’t imply that you’re without a compass. It just means that your sense of purpose might take more work to clarify and communicate to staff. Don’t shy away from it.

It’s tempting to think of purpose as a bonus, or a nice to have. But we don’t live in that world anymore. Purpose is actually a core need for staff, and if you can’t meet it, don’t be shocked when they leave for companies that will.

#purpose #engagment #discover Kimberly Ruth Penharlow Kimberly Penharlow Consulting