People crave meaningful work and a sense of purpose. In fact, meaning and purpose are sometimes more important to many people than making a lot of money.

 

This trend is good for business. It’s no secret that employees who feel a strong sense of meaning and purpose do better work. They’re more creative, productive and loyal. Helping employees connect to this solves the number one problem on a leader’s dashboard: engagement. 

 

Companies that figure this out have a distinct competitive advantage. Top talent is drawn to organizations that provide meaningful work and places where they feel they can make a difference. If we want to attract and keep the best and brightest employees, we have to inspire them. In a tight job market like the one we’re in right now, we can’t afford not to.

 

Of course, some jobs are, by their very nature, more meaningful than others. But really, all jobs have meaning. All companies serve their customers, their stakeholders and their workforce and the employees are in a unique position to make a difference. It’s up to leaders to help people see this. Great leaders create an environment where employees feel valued. This is what keeps them connected to their sense of purpose.

 

I read an article in Harvard Business Review that builds a good case for why a company should create a sense of meaning. The author explored the personality traits in leaders that help make jobs more meaningful for employees.  

— They are skilled at hiring for values and culture.

— They are curious and inquisitive.

— They are challenging and relentless.

— They are able to trust people.

You may want to read the HBR article yourself. But I’d like to share a few of my own thoughts and observations on these traits and their connection to creating a meaningful work environment:

 

On values- and culture-based hiring. For employees to feel their work is meaningful, they need to fit in with the rest of the team. Collaboration connects you to others. Not only does this feel good, it allows people to solve the big complex problems companies often face. (It’s unlikely a single person can do this alone.) If the values and culture are a poor fit for an employee, they won’t work as well as teams. This is why it’s crucial that leaders know how to hire the right people.

There are two big components to good hiring. One is behavioral-based interviewing, which you can read more about in the linked article. The other is peer interviewing, which means engaging co-workers who will work closely with the new hire in the interview process. Peer interviewing makes it more likely that the right candidate will be hired, and it helps existing employees feel invested in that person’s success. 

 

On curiosity. Curious leaders are interested in people and finding new ways to do things. They believe their employees know more about their area of expertise than the leader does. They ask lots of questions. They want to know how their employees think, how they would make the company better, how they envision the future. They encourage and empower employees to dig deeper, to look at different angles, and to become good problem-solvers. It creates an environment of constant learning, which is good for the company and fulfilling for the employee.

 

On relentless challenging. Great leaders never stop pushing employees to improve. They hold the bar high and expect others to do the same. I find this type of leader usually prefers an objective, metrics-based style of performance management. They are crystal clear on what success looks like and they link pay to performance. That means employees either meet their goals (which are tied to the organization’s overall goals and mission), or they don’t. There is very little gray area. 

 

High performers thrive in this environment. They prefer clarity to vagueness. They like knowing what is expected of them. This is a fair system and most people appreciate fairness. Plus, when employees know how they’re being graded, they will rise to the occasion. They’ll find creative ways to meet their goals, then they’ll feel a sense of accomplishment. They’ll clearly see that their hard work contributes to the company’s success. All of this feels good and creates a sense of meaning and purpose that drives them to do even better next time.

 

Also, great leaders don’t just preach relentless self-improvement. They live it. Because they also tend to do a lot of mentoring and coaching, employees are inspired by their example.

 

Ability to trust. Leaders have to trust their employees to do the job they’ve been hired to do. And yet, it can be challenging for many to delegate and let go. The problem is that when you consistently “overmanage” employees, they stop thinking for themselves. They’ll never find their wings and fly on their own. Instead of solving their own problems, they’ll constantly be looking for you to lead them out of the wilderness. 

 

This lack of trust rarely serves the organization well. After all, when leaders constantly have to be in the thick of projects that employees are (or should be) capable of handling, they never get their own work done. In an increasingly complex world, there just isn’t time for hand-holding. And employees won’t feel the sense of purpose that comes from contributing in a real and meaningful way.

 

Some leaders naturally practice these four behaviors. Others need to work at them. The good news is that when you have the will to improve as a leader, you’ll eventually find the skill.

 

We can all help our employees find their sense of meaning and purpose. When we do, not only will our company’s performance improve, everyone will enjoy their job so much more. There is nothing quite like going to work every day at a company filled with people who are fueled by a true passion for what they do. It makes every day a learning experience, an adventure, and a path for personal and professional growth. I can’t think of a better way to make a living.