Creating Meaning at Work

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.

 

            First and foremost I must say that the first thing I did when I finished reading the article “Getting Beyond Engagement to Creating Meaning at Work” was I printed it off and put it in my book so that I do not lose it. This is what leadership is all about in my opinion; a leader is the guiding force which can bring the best out of their team. I think that this article was very insightful for any aspiring leader or manager, these are the types of tips which people looking to make a difference at work crave for.

 Throughout this class we have talked about companies having a “why”; a reason to do what they do. A company has to have a thirst and a hunger for which ever goal they are chasing, rather it be for financial purposes or work that might change the world for the better. When we have meaning or a cause at work we are working towards something that is much bigger than ourselves; “This is a call to action. It is the step that ingrains your core values in your day-to-day life. It gives you meaning and reason to do the jobs you do” (Entrepreneur).  When we as leaders create a meaning for our employees at work we can grow strengths which we might not have realized that we are capable of through values like integrity, leadership, and finding a love for what we do.

I Look at companies like “Toms shoes” for example; this company has found a love for what they do while “killing two birds with one stone”. Toms has the slogan of “one for one”, what they are doing is for every item you buy someone in need receives some sort of help from the company. The company has many different positive stories posted on their website; they have helped millions of people in very poor countries be able to have shoes and not have to walk around bare foot. The way I see it this company is making huge amounts of profit and at the same time they are finding a cause in their work. Toms co. is helping people on so many different levels, not only are they putting shoes on the feet of many needy adults and children but they are also opening up factories and creating Jobs in countries like Haiti and other countries with similar economic struggles.

I can see why a company like Toms is striving in so many different ways, the leaders at Toms have found a way to create meaning and cause in the work that they do. By finding a cause in their work they are “promoting positive work environments through attention to characteristics like humility, selflessness, order and, openness” (HBR Blog). I think that we can all learn from many companies which have followed this path.

As I mentioned before, I found it particularly important to print this article out (Getting Beyond Engagement to Creating Meaning at Work) and “put it in my back pocket” because I know that I will use these seven drivers in the future. Team building activities like this can bring a huge amount of success to a company, anytime we take a step back and examine ourselves we can open up a new world of creativity and ideas. Many of these drivers remind me of brainstorming, when a team brainstorms they take some time to stop and think about how things can be done better. I feel that the world we live in is too fast paced and not enough time is being taken to see how we can do things better. When we stop to look for a cause or meaning in what we do I think that success is inevitable.

References:

- Held, L. (2014, March 29). 7 Steps to Find Meaning in Your Work. . Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232638

- Ulrich, D. (2010, June 2). Getting Beyond Engagement to Creating Meaning at Work. . Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://blogs.hbr.org/2010/06/getting-beyond-engagement-to-c/