Many of us will have heard the legendary story about the janitor at NASA, who when asked by the visiting President John F. Kennedy what he did, replied, “why, I’m helping put a man on the moon!”
The fact that his reply wasn’t anything along the lines of cleaning despite the broom he was clutching at the time highlights the difference in perspective when we work within a culture of contribution. The janitor’s purpose was crystal clear – he was keeping the building clean for the overall mission of putting a man on the moon, and his role was aligned with everyone else on that mission.
In today’s fast-paced and complex world, employees increasingly seek meaning and purpose in their work beyond financial incentives. Research highlights the importance of positive leadership in providing employees with a sense of meaning, fulfilment, and alignment with organisational values and goals. Leaders who articulate a compelling vision, inspire shared purpose, and recognise the significance of employees’ contributions foster a sense of meaning and engagement among their teams.
Studies have shown that organisations with a strong sense of purpose and meaning experience higher levels of employee commitment, motivation, and satisfaction. Positive leaders who prioritise meaning create an environment where individuals feel connected to something larger than themselves, leading to greater resilience, creativity, and performance.
During a recent leadership workshop, we explored this theme of having positive meaning and purpose in our role, and the participants at the time identified themselves as an extremely disengaged group of team leaders, struggling to see beyond their roles and the daily grind. Once they identified the bigger purpose, which was ultimately to look after the wellbeing and comfort of their aged care home clients, they gained a completely different perspective and boosted their motivation immediately.
It led to a renewed satisfaction in what they were doing and how they were contributing, and deeper engagement in sharing their ideas and expertise to make their clients life better.
The search for positive meaning is a universal human need, there are strong relationships between engaging in meaningful work and positive outcomes. The research aligns with what my group of team leaders found – meaningfulness can be enhanced by personal interaction with the beneficiary of a persons outputs which can lead to substantially more persistence and productivity at work (Grant et al, 2007).
Finding positive meaning in your team links to the vision and purpose of your organisation; it is all about the higher intent – what are we trying to achieve and why?
As a leader, things you can consider to help foster positive meaning for your teams are:
- How have you created a sense of meaning in your team regarding the work you do?
- Ask what positive impact does your work create for others – internally or externally?
- How do you foster a sense of connection to those that benefit from your work?
- What can you do to connect to the individual values of each of your team members?
When teams feel their work has a positive impact on others, when their work builds a sense of community or supportive relationships and when their work ripples into the future, they will experience the wonderful and empowering benefits of having positive meaning in their work.
Deb is a Senior Consultant who is passionate about Positive Leadership and brings with her a wealth of experience in applying Positive Psychology and the Neuroscience of Leadership to excel in leadership and performance. Book here for a conversation to learn more about our leadership and capability programmes.
