Purpose – with your organisation
Recently I conducted a review of the evidence around purpose at work, and whether it has become more important.
My research found that having organisational purpose is good, but not every organisation is strongly purpose driven.
· It’s 100% fine to try and sell stuff cheaper than the next guy.
· It’s totally cool if you’ve been reliably making the same thing for donkeys’, and you tweak just enough to keep ahead of the market.
· It’s a fact that not every job will ever save the world.
But all of those types of organisations can, as a minimum, act to not make the world a worse place. Ideally, they can aim to make the world in some way better.
That can happen in many different ways. It can be in environmental efforts, it can be looking down their supply chain, it can be in efforts for their local community or a cause that their people really care about. It can be in committing to true inclusion. It can simply be a determination to be as fair to their people as they possibly can.
There’s almost an infinite number of ways in which your organisation can make a positive impact. And far from costing money or time, they can energise employees to greater engagement, connectivity and hence productivity.
Purpose – without your organisation
There’s another aspect too. Your work should allow you to access the things that are important to you outside of work.
There are all sorts of ways in which you can improve yourself through exercise, creativity and any number of hobbies. Your work needs to leave you with the time and the energy to be able to do them, and feel the benefit of them.
There are all manner of voluntary, community and charity efforts to get involved with –your employer can create the space and flexibility. And sometimes encourage it. And sometimes fund it.
There are ways in which you can improve yourself and others through training, coaching, mentoring, working across projects. To develop oneself or to enrich yourself by developing others.
Of course, lots of people have lots of other commitments and priorities outside of work too – and the more that you can flex to them, but even better to embrace them, the better.
Purpose – with my organisation
At its root, all of my work is about getting more people into the work the right jobs for them, and letting them do the best possible job when they are there. That tends to fall into three areas: defining EVP, understanding engagement and assessing communication.
Defining EVPs means organisations pitch themselves to the right people. So, people that won’t relish the task, or thrive in the culture, or get to the place they want can rule themselves out. And those that will be inspired - but may not have considered this option before – get excited by the opportunity. The organisation gets access to more of the right people more easily. It’s about right employee and right employer.
Understanding engagement is about capturing the experience of people’s work. What tends to engage people in any work and also what specifically engages right here. The real context and nuance of the place. What makes it special, what makes it maddening. Ultimately, it’s a clear picture of what should be celebrated, what needs to change, and what can be added. It’s about making working life the best it can be.
Communication is central to the organisational and people success of every organisation. If there isn’t good dialogue, if there isn’t shared understanding, then success will be limited. The better the flow of communication in your organisation, the better the outcomes at a collective and individual level. It’s about making working life as smooth and connected as possible.
Sometimes, the work is do is a bit more functional: compare the workforces in locations X and Y.
Much more often, the output is insight-based recommendations and strategy that will mean more of the right people will have a better experience as they earn a crust.
That’s important, really important. We spend a lot of our lives at work, why shouldn’t it be the best it can be?
Especially when all the evidence points to better experience delivering better organisational results.
That’s the purpose that drives me – making work better.
That’s a proper thing to achieve, that’s about satisfaction and joy, that’s a difference that can be felt.
Purpose – without your organisation
Running my own business has given me an incredibly amount of ability to do the things that are important to me and my family.
Whether that’s my work as a school governor and cricket coach. Being around more for the family. Giving Rachel more flexibility to create her own business. Having flexibility for my hobbies: fell-running and brewing.
Your purpose
How does your organisation define its purpose?
How does your organisation let people access the things that give their people purpose?
What’s your personal purpose?
Comments