Find Your Meaning, Find Your Motive

It can be hard sometimes to find meaning in our work. Filling in forms, typing code, stacking shelves, sitting through the thirteenth meeting of the same committee, these activities throw so many trees into view that we really do lose sight of the woods.

The problem is that without meaning it’s hard to stay motivated. Detached from its purpose, work is just one more task to trudge through, not something you can feel passionate about or bring your best to.

If you want to stay motivated, and to keep others motivated, you need to find meaning.

Finding your meaning

It used to be that motivation in work was externally driven, but these days we’re seeing a shift towards internal motivations. The world supports us in finding work that matters to us, and rewards those who do this as their passion leads them to thrive.

It isn’t enough to accept somebody else’s meaning, however noble it might look. Are you pursuing a career in government service because it matters to you or because it’s what you feel should be meaningful? Do you design shoes because you’re intrigued by their elegant potential and passionate about being comfortable on your feet, or did you just inherit the family shoe business? If your motivation comes from inside you then it will drive you towards greatness, so start by working out what matters to you.

Finding your work’s meaning

Perhaps you already do a job that you’re passionate about, but you’re having trouble getting others passionately engaged. In that case it’s worth looking more deeply at the meaning of your work.

One way to do this, as recommended by Eddie Yoon, is to talk with your most extreme customers. Find the ones who buy all your products, who use your service again and again, who use your products in unusual ways. Find out why they come to you and what your business means to them. The meaning will be closer to the surface for them, something of which they’re more aware, and it will help to shed light on your business and the motives of the rest of your customers.

Knowing that your work has meaning for others as well as yourself can help to re-energize you when you’re feeling down. It can also help to keep your business on course. Many organizations have faltered because they pursued a product or service that bore no relation to their core meaning and the customers who bought into it. Understanding your meaning to others will help you avoid that.

Sharing that meaning

Once you’ve found your meaning, both individually and as an organization, use it to inspire others. People are always looking for something to believe in, something to motivate them, and sharing your meaning can provide that belief.

Belief is a powerful motivator. If you act like you believe in the meaning you’ve identified, if you pursue it no matter what stands in your way, if you support your employees in pursuing that meaning, then they will believe in you and your purpose. Don’t just expect them to do as they’re told, but tell them why they’re doing what they’re doing. This doesn’t just provide motivation, it provides flexibility. If someone understands why they are following a call script then they will also be able to recognize when it’s appropriate to go off script to achieve the call’s purpose. If they understand what a process is for then they can recognize and adapt when it stops achieving that aim.

Finding your meaning will give motivation to you, to your business and to the people around you. It can unlock your energy, your creativity and your flexibility. So think about your meaning and find your motivation.

Originally appeared on TalentCulture: http://www.talentculture.com/leadership/find-your-meaning-find-your-motive/

Image Credit: alphaspirit / 123RF Stock Photo

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Mark Lukens, MBA

Founding Partner at Capatus

Mark Lukens is a founding partner at Capatus and located in the New York office. He leads the Capatus’ Global Talent and Advisory practice. He is also an expert in the firm’s research and nonprofit practice. Lukens has more than 20 years of c-level executive and consulting experience delivering strategies and transformational programs to firms ranging from start-up to Fortune 50. He has worked with clients in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Lukens worked extensively in various product and service categories including health care, life sciences, government, nonprofit, technology, and professional services. He also advises clients in other industries including commercial and industrial, retail, logistics and transportation, media and more. Lukens serves on several Nonprofit Boards and is a professor at the State University of New York where he teaches in the School of Business and Economics with a focus on marketing, international management, entrepreneurship, HR, and organizational behavior to name a few. Lukens has a technical background as a MCSE and earned an MBA from Eastern University.

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