The Elements of Great Managing: 8 - Connection to a Noble Purpose
[Part 8 of a 12 part series exploring the concepts in 12: The Elements of Great Managing
According to a study by Amy Wrzesniewski (quoted on page 114 of Wagner and Harter's book), "...money is losing its power as a central motivator." Meaningful work often trumps higher pay. That's what this eighth element is all about.
We all want to feel that our efforts at work are helping our organization achieve something special. There are two parts to this. First, we need to understand what our organization is trying to achieve and believe that such a purpose is worthy of our efforts. Second, we need to understand how our contributions help achieve that purpose. We need to see the link between what we do and what our organization is trying to accomplish for the world.
As you think about mission, think about who your organization is trying to help.
[Hint: your customers.]
And what are you trying to help them with? How are you trying to make their lives better? That's your mission.
Gallup found that less than half of all workers in their database strongly agree with the statement, "The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important." And they apparently found little difference in the responses across industries. People in nasty jobs (septic tank pumping, for example) sometimes felt a strong connection to a mission, while people in caring roles (hospital workers, for example) sometimes felt very little connection to a mission. The apparent cause of high connection to a mission was the immediate supervisor's connection to a mission and ability to communicate that to her team.
Gallup found that this connection to mission diminishes with the worker's distance from the top of the organization. At the top, 2/3 of respondents agreed with the statement. Out in the field (those people who actually work with customers) the level of agreement was less than one-third.
Think about what that means. First, it means that 1/3 of the companies surveyed are led by folks who don't feel their jobs are important! That is a bit scary in itself. Worse, though, is that the most important people in your organization - those who produce the goods and deliver the services to your customers - are the least likely to feel their job is important to the company's mission. Wow!
It's easy to see how that will impact on customer engagement and loyalty. But Gallup also found that high scoring work groups had higher profitability, lower accidents and lower turnover. Add it up, and you've got another element of culture that translates to bottom line results.
The example in the book is an engaging and gripping story of the successful on-time opening of Cabela's Wheeling, West Virginia store. The lead character is Mike Boldrick, who led the charge to make something great happen in a very short time.
The something great? Cabela's mission is to be "...the world's foremost outfitter." The way Mike made it happen? According to Michael Rock, "He believes in this, and that's what helps him sell it to everybody."
In the end, that's what will drive this element of engagement in your organization. At the top, you must believe in the mission of your organization, and then sell it to everyone else.
What if you aren't the CEO, and yet you still want to energize and align your team? Work out, together, what you can do to make the lives of your customers better. Let that be your mini-organizational mission. For example, the IT department that worked in my division in one company set themselves the task of helping all of us in the division make our decisions better, faster and easier. It didn't matter what the company's purpose was, that IT department mission was enough to get them out of bed and eagerly at work every morning, ready to make something great happen.
You can do the same in your neck of the woods.
For more...
- Linda Zdanowicz writes about how this element plays out in a dental practice and at the Ritz Carlton. I love her take on it.
