What's the Point? Purpose at Work

Have you ever asked yourself the “what’s the point” question?

It is probably one of the most frequently asked questions humans have about work these days, especially on Monday mornings.

Humans need to have a sense of purpose for doing what they do. Engaging our brains for more than a few hours requires that our heart gets also involved. When the purpose is not sufficiently clear (or inspiring), people end up having a go at creating an alternative sense of purpose that they can believe in.

Finding the right answer would provide the master key for ultimately unlocking the gates of engagement and high performance in organisations, once and for all. However, most organisations have not found a proper answer to the “what’s the point” question, yet. Instead, they have been keeping rather busy, running after red herrings that often leave them empty hearted and back in the search for a sense of purpose.

The problem is not that we are asking this question. The problem is that we are not coming up with good enough answers for it. Senior executives and millennials alike are beginning to itch for meaningful answers; answers that can help justify the time and energy spent on endless meetings, worrying about survival and reputation, managing risks of all sorts and being lectured on what the next big thing is going to be like.

The more organisations search for a sense of purpose at work, the further away they seem to be from actually finding it.

Read the whole thing here.