How to Have People be “Purpose-Driven” At Work
An article reporting on the Workforce Purpose Index findings says that companies with purpose-driven employees have better growth in revenue. Their study found “three factors that contribute to an employee feeling like they have purpose at work:
- Independence;
- Influence when it comes to decision-making; and
- Recognition for their work.
How do you get those things into your workplace? Communication is your friend here. Let’s take those one at a time.
First, independence doesn’t mean people need to be free to do whatever they want at work. It means they know What results to produce (and what rules and regulations you need to follow), and When to produce them, and Why they matter. They can take it from there, without a lot of “micro-managing”, where the boss looks over their shoulder twice a day and says what to do differently. The part about saying Why the results matter, what they will be used for, or what difference they will make, is what creates a sense of purpose.
Second, influence in decision-making is a product of dialogue. Instead of just saying “Make X happen by time Y because it will be good for Z”, it helps to have a conversation about the X, Y, and Z. That means you add in the other three ingredients of a productive conversation:
- Who else should be involved in this? Who has input? Who will evaluate?
- Where will you get the resources you need? Where will the results go when they’re ready?
- How should those results be produced? Any useful techniques or procedures?
The trick of dialogue is that it is Question-and-Answer: all participants get to ask questions, all participants get to contribute answers, ideas, and suggestions. People listen to the other people, and include the best of what’s offered. That dialogue is what gives people a sense of having an influence in decision-making – about their job, and about changes being made in their workplace.
Third, recognition doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. Sometimes simply noticing – and saying – that someone completed a task or project is enough to create a sense of accomplishment. Of course, pay raises and better job titles are nice too, but just saying “Good job” goes a long way too.
I’d like to add one more ingredient to have people be purpose-driven at work: Make your mission, vision, and/or objective(s) present and real for people. Some workplaces have the mission on the wall in their conference room; lots of managers maintain a scoreboard in the corner of their whiteboard or update the status of their team’s current objectives in weekly emails to team members.
If we want people to be purpose-driven at work, we need to bring the purpose of their work into our conversations. Purpose lives in the way we give assignments, talk about the job to be done, and recognize the completion of a product or task. We all like to know that our work matters, so let’s remember to mention how it matters and to whom. Really, even once a day is not too often.
