Dave and Wendy Ulrich, co-authors of The Why of Work have said, “In organizations, meaning and abundance are more about what we do with what we have than about what we have to begin with.”
In his famous book Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl posits that it "is a peculiarity of man that he must have something significant yet to do in his life, for that is what gives meaning to life" (2004, p. 56).
Kouzes and Posner write in The Leadership Challenge: "The executive must find a way to communicate the vision in a way that attracts and excites members of the organization" (1987, p. 106).
See the Harvard Business Review blog entitled Getting Beyond Engagement to Creating Meaning at Work (Links to an external site.)
Now, reflect on what you have read and viewed and what it means when we say that leaders must create a “cause” or "meaning." Relate this to the theory of leading change.
Use examples and apply the work of others where necessary.
The definition of meaning is, "an interpreted goal, intent, or end," and "a sense of importance or purpose." In defining this, I think about my goals within my job and where I see myself on the path within higher education. Just yesterday I was discussing life as seasons within a year, where spring is the start of life, full of wonder and first sights, and winter is filled with reflection (and hopefully, not too many "I wish I would have"s). During this conversation, a colleague stated something simple and profound: "I have more years behind me than ahead of me now." This person sees themselves as in the fall of their lives.
As the discussion went on, it seemed like the heyday of most of my colleagues lives was in their 20s and 30s. As I am in this range, I wondered if I am in the spring or the summer of my existence, and what I am doing to take advantage of this time. I thought about work and my coursework, and reflected on some of the things I miss doing before graduating. I am not very social anymore. Most of my goals revolve around acquiring boring things: experience, education and savings. I am constantly stressed over these things! It seems at times that I may not appreciate the opportunities of this time. There is still so much to look forward to. I do not think many of us notice how quickly our lives shift through these seasons, and it is important to acknowledge the benefits and setbacks of each season. I do not want to reach the winter of my life still reaching for my zenith.
Being within a close-knit collective at work is a double-edged sword: at times I would not rather be anywhere else. As I write this, I am sitting at my office desk after an eventful twelve-hour day. I spend time thinking about if I should invest in a cot for my office. On the other end, my love for work has made me very narrow-minded. I pack up my work PC only to open it back up at home to answer a few more emails to to make a to-do list for the next day or week. When I am truly disconnected (off or on vacation) from work, I feel guilty for possibly missing the apt opportunity to help someone.
A lot of people feel like they put a lot into their work, but they do not get a lot back. Over time this becomes spite; a person may have loved their job years before and suddenly, work does not satisfy the soul or provide satisfaction anymore. I have been warned many times of possible burnout. This is the issue: we are looking for appreciation in one place, and not realizing it can come from all facets of life. In leading my staff, I am adamant in remembering that people want to feel needed. All humans need to feel wanted. Science and medical research reveal that feeling unwanted stunts all forms of human growth and development. Physical, psychological, and emotional growth are all influenced by person's perception of feeling wanted. Dekkers states, "in fact, people who say they don't need to fill wanted are clearly lying or psychotic" (Dekkers, 2014). We have to realize the "seed of meaning" - which means we are responsible for seeing the value of the things we must go through - and we also must learn how to grow and develop from life's obstacles.
The need is pre-programmed. Real Estate expert Andy Mulholland defines three desires workers have of their employers. Mulholland (2011) states:
Number one, give me interesting work. Number two, expand my skill set. But number three is critical—it’s “recognize me.”
In a video by Professor Baba Shiv of Stanford University, Shiv talks about the importance of emotion in decision making. It is clear to most of us that if we feel cared for, we will follow the person showing us care. We will fight against anyone or anything that seems to be against us, or at least not have our best interest in mind. People can literally sense genuine interest, and when they do they are likely to develop the long-term relationships with you that will create win-win selling situations (Dekkers, 2014). Having a track record for improving environments and processes is a skill that will always benefit the whole when progression is necessary. As Yukl (2010) notes, "leadership is a process of giving purpose (meaningful direction) to collective effort, and causing willing effort to be expended to achieve purpose" (p. 21).
I have literally been the change within a workplace several times as I moved around after college. The group dynamics of great organizations are usually already set, and it can be uneasy being the new thread. However, you cannot expect or even consider having 100% in sensing opinions in group settings. In all groups there are individuals who rise above group-think; I look for that person for my "in". This is the person who has "been there" as the new person and remembers the awkwardness, or the oldest person in the group who everyone respects. Sometimes I catch flack for diving in too soon with new ideas. When facing objections, however, I always honor and respect their viewpoints and continue on with explaining my vision, however brief (Dekkers, 2014).
In coming into leadership positions where those below you are hesitant of your motives, it is great to break the ice with knowing what their vision is, why they came and why they stay where they are, and how you can make their experience better. I am naturally someone who is ready to serve - not to be trampled on - but to show that I am not above anyone and that I value my team. I want to establish myself as someone who will never ask an employee to do something I have not do or would not do with them; workers and coworkers are willing to help you if they see you are putting forth your own best effort. If a leader is striving toward excellence every day, people will jump all over themselves to be a part of what they are doing (Holden Leadership Center).
In order to make fundamental and profound changes at any level you need to build a vanguard of people to spread these messages. These principles inspire people, bring life to people. (Pattakos, 2010)
Sometimes environments have ups and owns that dip far lower than one can expect to settle for. Change can certainly go wrong. For instance, I was once in a work situation where the job was wonderful, but the supervisor was deplorable. The person was slow to get things done, verbally attacking when asked questions or asked for status updates on action items, became very nervous and defensive in situations needing quick action, and would degrade others to deflect their personal dissatisfaction. In such an environment, it is important to focus on the goals individuals affected by such calamities have, in order to overcome the problem. For instance, if I am on a career path that I love, I will run into others like this person and will need to focus on the bigger picture to drown the drama out. Sometimes is is focusing in on the love we have for the people we work with, though a job may not be as challenging as we'd like. Perhaps we love the people we serve, and could not imagine leaving those personalities. There will always be blemishes - I am working to see that they are not all deal-breaking ones - but instead are a realization that I cannot have it all.
One of my favorite books, The Love Languages by Gary Chapman (1995), outlines five ways to express and experience love. One of the love languages is gift-giving. Though I do not believe I am excited by gifts (I enjoy words of affirmation more), I realize how easy it is to pep people up when they get something small and unexpected for doing something phenomenal (an example of reward power). It is important for awards to be based on meaningful criteria rather than favoritism or arbitrary judgments, which is why I really sit and think about why this person has stuck out to me, how often I have gifted something to this person, and if they are simply splendid, or doing what is expected of them (in comparison to those who are lacking). An award that is highly visible allows others to share in the process of commending the recipient and encourages others to live up to or exceed this person's actions (Yukl, 2010, p. 128).
References
Dekkers, T. (2014). From persuasion. How to persuade people and influence them.
Holden Leadership Center. Make People Feel Needed. Accessed at http://leadership.uoregon.edu/resources/exercises_tips/leadership_reflections/making_people_feel_needed
Dekkers, T. (2014). From persuasion. How to persuade people and influence them.
Holden Leadership Center. Make People Feel Needed. Accessed at http://leadership.uoregon.edu/resources/exercises_tips/leadership_reflections/making_people_feel_needed
Ulrich, D.; Ulrich, W. (2010). Getting Beyond Engagement to Creating Meaning at Work. Harvard Business Review. Accessed at https://hbr.org/2010/06/getting-beyond-engagement-to-c
Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in Organizations, 8th edition. Prentice Hall.
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