Leadership is about creating a sense of purpose for everyone in the organization. Each person plays an important and specific role in achieving the larger vision. Although highly-effective leadership is about creating purpose for others, some team members may feel purposeless in their work. Those feelings may be due to burn out, not feeling challenged enough, or feeling under appreciated. Leaders can alleviate purposelessness feelings in their team members through providing clear direction.
- Praise: It’s critical that leaders praise people for their hard work. When someone lives out a standard, praise them in both public and in private. Every person needs praise to feel a sense of purpose in their work.
- Challenge: Find ways to challenge people with tasks or projects that they haven’t had the opportunity to work on yet. A sense of challenge often allows people to find more purpose and meaning in their work.
- Communicate: It is critical to communicate and understand what helps each employee find meaning in their work. Communication helps leaders learn about their people which in turns helps create a sense of purpose.
- Promote: For those who work hard, achieve the standard, and want more responsibility, promoting people is powerful. Promoting from within the organization really creates a sense of purpose for people and shows the belief leaders have in their work and ability.
- Collaborate: Working together as a group in order to set goals, establish standards, and solve problems establishes purpose for everyone involved. Teamwork is a powerful tool in creating a sense of meaning at work.
While creating a sense of purpose for others seems straightforward, the challenge comes from doing these things consistently each day, quarter, and year. Leaders must be intentional in their own attempts to develop purpose in the people they lead each day.
How do you create a sense of purpose for your team?