Let's Talk About Deeper Meaning at Work

I was only a year into my first professional job when I was asked to plan our small firm’s annual team retreat. Having just read Built To Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, I was thrilled that my CEO agreed to set aside time to talk about our company purpose and values. But the conversation had barely begun when a top partner jumped in, saying: “Every minute we spend talking about this stuff instead of talking about customers is a huge waste of time.”

That was the end of that discussion. Frankly, I was shocked – not only that they had so publicly quashed a planned discussion approved by the CEO, but that such an experienced business leader couldn’t see the value of reinforcing a sense of meaningfulness for our team.

There is a deep hunger among today's employees for “something more.” According to Great Place to Work, meaningful work is the #1 reason people stay in a job for a long time. And it’s not just millennials or Generation Z – a recent survey by the Harvard Business Review found that an overwhelming 90% of Americans would be willing to take a pay cut in exchange for a more meaningful job, and that companies could “save an average of $6.43 million in annual turnover-related costs for every 10,000 workers when all employees feel their work is highly meaningful.” Yet in that same study, respondents reported that their jobs were on average only half as meaningful as they could be. Clearly, organizations still have a huge unrealized opportunity to improve outcomes by making work more meaningful.

90% of Americans would take a pay cut in exchange for a more meaningful job. -?Harvard Business Review

How can we support business leaders in capitalizing on the benefits of meaning at work? And beyond the practical and financial benefits, how can we talk about meaning in ways that create engaging and authentic workplaces? I’ve found that there are simple ways that we can incorporate meaningfulness into leadership development activities, which then empowers leaders to foster deeper meaning for their teams.

Make time to think about deeper topics.

I can’t count the number of times someone has come up to me after a workshop and said, “I’m so grateful just to have had the time to talk about this.” Whether it’s thinking about purpose in the context of career development, or reflecting on strengths and opportunities, it can be incredibly impactful just to give people the time to think about things they may not think about on their own.

Ask questions that prompt deeper reflection.

One of my favorite activities is to ask participants what leaders they personally admire, and then suggest that the qualities we admire in others almost always mirrors the values we hold for themselves. This and other questions that touch on our deeper values and beliefs can be powerful additions to leadership discussions.

Incorporate practices for deeper self-awareness.

There are many ways to encourage leaders to reflect more deeply, including mindfulness, meditation, journaling, music, art, or spending time in nature, among others. Integrating these into a workshop or encouraging leaders to adopt one or more of these practices on their own can lead to meaningful insights.

Provide opportunities for deeper conversations.

Individual reflection and self-awareness are a big part of the search for meaning, and open dialogue is also a valuable way to create stronger connections and promote learning from others. Pairing a solo reflective activity with discussions in pairs, small groups, or cohorts of leaders can help develop vulnerability and trust.

More than ever, people are seeking greater authenticity, connection, and purpose – and as leadership development professionals, we are uniquely positioned to help lead people to navigate this search for deeper meaning. Increasingly, we are being called to plumb the depths of meaningfulness in ways that go far beyond the comfortable boundaries of the training room. By opening ourselves to new possibilities and engaging in our own quests for deeper meaning in our lives and work, we can help others create more meaningful lives and work for themselves.

As author Joseph Campbell put it, “One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that.”