Connected through purpose – Part 1
If your employees are dressing up in their professional persona costumes this Halloween, beware, as according to recent research (HBR, McKinsey) >40% of them may not be with you by the end of Q1 2022 and that’s not a great way to start the New Year!
We’re all competing for our slice of opportunity pie to create a future we’d be proud of, so continually improving our performance plays a critical part of creating our own luck. But we can’t be solely focused on results – driving forward relentlessly down the tunnel in search of the light at the end. That works in the heat of the battle but eventually it leads to burnout, and let’s face it, we’ve had enough of that already. It’s time for something a little more positive and sustainable! We’re human, and while we all care about results (the what), why we’re striving towards them and how we get there, are critically important.
If we want to win the (professional) war, we have to support our people, we have to support each other. Even better, we should take responsibility to inspire and empower each other to show up as our best, authentic selves. As I’ve said before: better people = better performance. It’s that simple.
Ask yourself in your life, who would you want to go to war with? Who’s got your back? Who would you run through a wall for? Are any of these folks you picked, at work? If so, great!
What about in reverse, who would pick you? Are you the best version of you at work, or are you still dressing up in your professional persona costume? Beware, you can’t wear a costume for ever, it’s wears out and it’s draining trying to be someone you’re not!
Now, let’s assume we’ve got our game plan right: we have the right people, in the right roles, with the right strengths and skills, focused on the right things. If not – start there – especially looking at managers and leader capabilities. If however we do, we have the potential to continuously better our best and outperform the competition (and win the war). However, to do that in a sustainable way those right people, need to be getting the right experience, together. That way, not only will we retain those people, we’ll help them attain and sustain their best, not in costume, but as they are – themselves.
How do we achieve an employee experience we’d be proud of?
As humans, we need meaning, belief, belonging, growth, safety and support. We value integrity, inclusivity, interaction, recognition, feedback, respect & trust. We’re energized by opportunity, challenges, enthusiasm, advancement, positivity and possibility.
So, the short answer to the question is – we have to dig deeper. Provide for these needs, live the values, and keep fueling the energy. Start with asking yourself and your people, for each of the above factors on a scale of 1 – 10, how much each are we getting and giving, day to day? Identify the gaps, build upon the bright spots.
The recent research backs up this kind of approach based upon why people are leaving their employers: According to McKinsey, the top three reasons employees cited for leaving (or considering leaving) were that either they didn’t feel their work was valued by the organization (54%) or by their manager (52%) or because they didn’t have a sense of belonging at work (51%). Next on the list were having potential for advancement, caring and trusting teammates, and a flexible work schedule. So not compensation, benefits, work-life balance – the headline factors you might guess off the top.
So while these relational factors may take longer to implement than simply offering people more money and more time off (transactional factors), the good news is (and per the research) they are more effective. As we outline below, they result in a much greater pay off.
To simplify the process, we recommend distilling everything down to two simple concepts- Purpose and Connection.
Purpose and connection will anchor and bring to life a positive employee experience where people feel their contribution is valued and they clearly see how it fits with the greater good. They start to (as Kevin Roberts shared in our podcast conversation) “feel like a family and play like a team” – strengthening a sense of belonging and value by practicing increased empathy, understanding how they can optimize their contribution and that of others, towards a shared commitment to something that matters.
Purpose:
Purpose is the reason something or someone exists, the unique qualities it or they can bring to life at their best, to deliver meaningful positive impact.
At an organizational level purpose reflects what the organization is best at, what its people love, what drives profits and the positive impact the organization can have with its people, stakeholders and beyond (people, planet, profit). We unpack our organizational purpose discovery model here.
At an individual level, it reflects a person at their absolute best – a combination of their passions and impact being put into action. Impact at the individual level we look at in terms of me, we & world (see model here).
The connection between individual / team / organizational purpose provides a robust foundation upon which everything else can be built. It adds meaning and depth to organizational objectives and helps define the behaviors and focus to achieve them.
According to McKinsey, 70% of people surveyed stated their sense of purpose was largely defined by their work and yet only 15% actually felt they were able to live their purpose at work. Those 15% showed higher energy, satisfaction, engagement, achievement, connection and excitement, among other positive outcomes. So, if these are the types of outcomes you’re looking for from your employee engagement – start with purpose.
Connection:
the spark that unites people, and ideas, and the catalyst that accelerates their performance and impact, together.
Thus, connections need to be made and sustained, intentionally. Human connection is a must-have need for people but also, especially when connected through purpose – an opportunity for them to thrive. Obviously with Covid much of this natural and informal connection was lost, or at minimum put on hold, with most connections now having to be scheduled by screen. Moreover, people also need to understand the connection between things – the pieces of the jigsaw, in order to sustain optimal performance. Without this context, people risk operating in a vacuum, not seeing their contribution to the whole, questioning their value, and then of course, running out of air!
So, by focusing on purpose and connection we not only provide a foundation to build upon, but the building blocks themselves that lead to improved performance. As we build, we also strengthen things like wellbeing, mental health & resilience. Purpose and connection also provide a framework and a set of tools leaders and managers can apply to unearth important relationship drivers. Ultimately of course we strengthen retention, by inspiring and empowering each other to be at our best.
In part 2 of this article we outline 8 practical ways leaders can embed purpose and strengthen connection, to improve performance and retention.