When I look at today's business world, it's clear to me that productivity, engagement, and success are tied more than ever to a sense of purpose. The lines between work and life are blurring — and in many cases being erased altogether. The promise of a paycheck (and a reasonable sense of job security) is simply not enough to keep people energized and engaged anymore. These days, people demand more out of their jobs. They want their work to align with their values, beliefs and overall goals. Mostly, they want to know that what they’re doing in the workplace has a positive impact on the world outside the office.

When a person begins working for an organization, they are focused on the positive aspects of the work. But once the “honeymoon” period passes, they often become disenchanted with the drudgery of basic tasks and dry directives that seem disconnected completely from the ideas and challenges that seemed so meaningful on day one.

Today’s employees are engaged when they feel like they’re having an impact and making a difference. They become disengaged when they feel that work is reduced to a series of mundane tasks. So how do leaders instill a sense of purpose and meaning into the work experience?

Happiness Does Not Equal Meaning or Purpose

I want to make sure leaders understand that there’s a subtle, yet important difference between happiness and a feeling of purpose or deeper meaning.

Yes, we want our people to be happy, just as we want happiness for ourselves, but initiatives designed to improve happiness rarely improve engagement. Certainly, there is a positive correlation between feelings of happiness and a sense of purpose. But they don’t always go hand in hand.

Recent research shows that people who score highly on tests measuring happiness don’t always feel meaning or purpose in their lives. Consider what researchers have coined the “parenthood paradox”: Parents tend to report happiness regarding having had children. But living with children correlates with very low scores on measures of happiness. What this means is that the act of raising children decreases happiness but increases a sense of meaning.

Some key differences between happiness and meaning, according to a study performed at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, include:

• Want vs. Need: Satisfying desires makes people happy, but it does not increase a sense of meaning.
• Present vs. Past and Future: Happiness happens in the moment, whereas meaning and purpose come from considering the past and future. It seems that meaning and purpose are related to an ability to see one’s life as a satisfying story.
• Relationships: Deep relationships, such as those we have with our families or dearest friends, increase feelings of meaning. Time spent with friends in relationships that are not as deep tends to improve happiness without impacting one’s sense of meaning or purpose.
• The Struggle Is Real: Meaning is often derived from enduring experiences that are decidedly not happy. Struggling through an experience will not make a person happy, but it will correlate highly with that person’s sense of meaning.
• The Identity Issue: Simply put, happiness has a lot to do with getting what you want. Meaning, on the other hand, is all about defining and expressing oneself.

Once leaders disentangle happiness from meaning and purpose, they can get to work creating environments and experiences that truly engage their people.

What People Really Want out of Their Jobs

If employees don’t want happiness from their jobs, what do they want?

According to a survey conducted by the ADP Research Institute, 89% of respondents indicated that they want work to relate to their personal interests or have some impact on society. Younger workers are highly attuned to this sense of purpose and correlation with personal values.

A sense of freedom is also important to today’s workers. The feeling of freedom is closely related to meaning and purpose, as well. When people feel like they are in charge of their schedules and ability to maintain work-life balance, there is a much more significant “buy in.”

Moreover, employees want to feel able to self-manage. They value feedback and appreciate structure, but they loathe being micromanaged by their leaders. Of course, striking the right balance can be tricky and efforts by leaders to empower employees this way can pay off considerably.

Leaders have the power to give employees what they want, but they must know how to go about doing it the right way.

What Leaders Can Do to Make Work More Meaningful

Here are some tips leaders can lean on as they work to create a more meaningful, purposeful workplace:

Identify What Drives People

It’s a leader’s job to get to know their people and determine the right course of action and motivation for each individual. Ask people what they enjoy about their work and about the areas where they feel they excel. Identify strengths, opportunities, and desires. Then design a plan that takes those aspects into account. And remember: you want to discern what drives meaning and purpose—not what makes people happy!

Learn What Makes People Proud
Ask your people about past projects and accomplishments that have made them feel proud. Where did they struggle? How did they overcome those struggles? Determine through your conversations where the work intersected with personal passions. Use your findings to inspire and engage your people.

Focus on the Present; Ask About the Past and Future
Remember—happiness happens in the present moment but meaning comes from an ability to see oneself as part of a story that has a past and future. Get to know the stories your people are “writing” about themselves, where they’ve come from and where they want to go. But focus your advice and direction on what they can do right now. It might not be what makes them happy, but it will help them feel a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.

Know Your People as People
Never forget that people have rich, full and meaningful lives outside of the workplace. If you aren’t aware of what life is like outside the hours of nine to five, you will have trouble identifying the ways in which you can drive engagement. Your ability to provide meaning will be directly related to your ability to understand your people as complete individuals, not just employees within your organization.

Leaders Need Meaning and Purpose, Too!

While you’re focused on creating a workplace that inspires and engages your people, it’s easy to forget that you need something deeper out of your work to perform your best as a leader.

The advice I presented above will help you give a meaningful experience to your people. But the one thing that will inspire them more than anything is the fact that you are living a life full of meaning. You need to walk the walk and talk the talk. Consider how you are performing in your role as a leader: Are you feeling uninspired and disengaged? Are you feeling a disconnect between your personal and professional lives? Some soul-searching may be in order.

When you’re in a funk, I suggest taking some time to revisit the ideas, concepts and feelings that motivated you when you first took on your leadership role. Explore the connections between your experiences outside of your organization and those within it. And please remember that a rich, full life outside of the office can fuel a meaningful, fulfilling career as an effective leader.

Let’s Talk!

Today’s leaders need to inspire and engage in different ways than they’ve had to in the past. I’m curious to hear your stories and insights. Do you have examples of what has worked for you? What about some of the motivational struggles you’ve faced? I want to hear from you, so please contact me via phone at 1-855-871-3374 or via email at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca.