What are the most effective ways to build purpose and meaning in your team?
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As a leader, you want your team to feel motivated, engaged, and aligned with the goals and vision of your organization. But how do you foster a sense of purpose and meaning in your team, especially in times of uncertainty, change, or challenge? In this article, we will explore some of the most effective ways to build purpose and meaning in your team, based on employee relations best practices and benchmarks.
One of the key factors that drives purpose and meaning in your team is how well you communicate the why behind your work. You need to articulate the mission, vision, and values of your organization, and how they relate to your team's objectives, tasks, and projects. You also need to explain how your team's work contributes to the bigger picture, and how it impacts the customers, stakeholders, and society at large. By communicating the why, you help your team understand the significance and relevance of their work, and inspire them to perform at their best.
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Dr. (h.c.) Kumar Visvanathan, ACC (ICF)
Man of Excellence Award winner, Leadership Coach, Head - Shared Services at Mindtree, Keynote Speaker, HR Superstar awarded by HRO & Founder of Asia Shared Services Council
It is important to get everyone together when it comes to creating purpose and meaning at work. People need to feel that they are heard and their opinion matters. So as a leader, one needs to listen more instead of just directing. The leader needs to invest in creating an environment where people feel they belong. Next step is to get into the nitty gritties of the work involved and help people to see the bigger picture. Here it is crucial to let everyone realize how important everyone's contribution is in making the process work and how each and everyone of them can make a difference. One more item that worked for me was how we used data to talk as the team realized how their contribution was shaping the success.
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AMIT KAUL
Head of HR @ Opal | Human Resources (HR)
It's incumbent for every Team Lead to be able to elucidate the 'Line of Sight' between Team activities and organisational goals to his/her team. Further, it's very important to make each and every member feel valued and recognized for what they bring to the team Lastly and most important, the need for complete empowerment can lead to exponential outperformance. There needs to be complete democratization of the decision making process in the team on the lines of 'POLITEIA', which was practiced in ancient Greek society around 480 B.C. and resulted in dominance of Greece in every sphere of social , policitical and cultural affairs
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Poorna Pushkala, SHRM-SCP, ICF-PCC
Sr. Management Professional | CXO | Professional Coach | Strategy | Process Excellence | Transforming Organizational Practices | Art Therapy Practitioner
One of the exercises that I have successfully experimented and seen work is aligning the organisation's vision to the team's and most importantly tying it with the individual's personal vision for self. This ensures Passion with a Purpose!! Most important element in this exercise is the flexibility to assign additional deliverables, invest in the individual's needs for self development while aligning it to the organisation's requirement. By doing this, the team will ensure to deliver for the organisation's vision!!
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Another way to build purpose and meaning in your team is to involve them in decision-making processes that affect their work. You can do this by soliciting their feedback, opinions, and ideas, and by giving them autonomy and ownership over their work. You can also create opportunities for your team to collaborate, innovate, and solve problems together, and to learn from each other's perspectives and experiences. By involving your team in decision-making, you show them that you value their input and expertise, and that you trust them to make meaningful contributions.
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Waleed Yazdani
Head of People @ Retailo (UAE, KSA & PK)
Co-creation is one of the most underrated tools used by managers. It’s the quickest way to create buy in in any initiative or idea or new way of working. It works with your leadership team too. If you’re struggling to get an initiative through at the leadership level, partner with a few leaders and make them part of your process when developing your initiative. Once it’s ready to take to the boardroom for executive management, you’ve got leadership perspective in, you’ve got a few leaders on your side and you’ve got a product that some of those leaders now have a stake in!
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viswanath hajib
Resolution Professional IBC 2016, Registered Independent Director and Consultant on IBC matters
Lead by example is the best way. Your commitment and leadership will show the way.This is the best way of displaying enthusiasm,motivation and task orientation.
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Jess Griffith
Transformational Leader | Change Influencer | M&A Integrations Partner | Scalable Solutions Builder
Whether it’s reinforcing or revamping your purpose, leaders should engage with their “influencers” within their organization. “Influencers” are not required to have a position of authority as their influence comes from their nature ability to connect with others - build trust, respect among their peers and effectively represent the interests and opinions of their peers. By engaging with your “influencers”, leaders can gain insights into how employees today interpret the meaning behind your purpose. Leaders may find it necessary to clarify the meaning by considering minor tweaks or simply educating the influencers concerning the meaning. “Influencers” will also help to reinforce clarity involving your purpose across your organization.
A third way to build purpose and meaning in your team is to recognize and celebrate their achievements, both individually and collectively. You can do this by providing regular and specific feedback, by acknowledging their efforts and accomplishments, and by rewarding them with incentives, recognition, or appreciation. You can also create a culture of celebration, where you share success stories, highlight best practices, and showcase the impact of your team's work. By recognizing and celebrating achievements, you reinforce the purpose and meaning of your work, and boost your team's morale and confidence.
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Tosin Adeyemi MBA
Business Development | Sales Management | Change Management | Growth Management | Customer Experience | Trainer
The best way to foster purpose and meaning in your team is to prioritize open communication, emphasizing the contributions of each member. Promote a sense of belonging by encouraging shared goals aligned with personal values. Enhance their development and emphasize the impact of their work.
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Chin Teik Cheah
Founder and President, Author, Action-Learning NeuroLeadership Coach/Facilitator, Business Consultant, Podcaster - Transforming how we lead and manage self, others & communities
🔆Create team identity - purpose and meaning ✅ Superordinate goals to provide bigger and broader identity ✅ Celebrate team wins to reinforce team success 🔸 Develop team base incentives versus individual incentives 🔆Build social motives via SCARF - Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness ✅ form team 🔸 share and identify complementary 70:20:5 (strengths:development areas:weakness) 🔸 clarity of roles & accountability ✅ break groupthink 🔸 dissent encouraged ✅ agree on ground rules ✅ agree on team practices including 🔸 problem solving & decision making 🔸 issue clearance 🔸 communication
A fourth way to build purpose and meaning in your team is to support their growth and development, both professionally and personally. You can do this by providing them with learning and development opportunities, such as training, coaching, mentoring, or shadowing. You can also help them set and achieve their career goals, by identifying their strengths, interests, and aspirations, and by creating a career path or a development plan for them. By supporting your team's growth and development, you show them that you care about their future, and that you want them to reach their full potential.
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Edwin Dirghantara
Chief Fun Officer @SeriouzFun | Certified Trainer - Facilitator - Assessor - Auditor - Consultant | Digital Storyteller
A few tips for leaders on how to support their team members' growth and development: •Don't wait for team members to come to you with their development needs. Be proactive in identifying their needs and providing them with the support they need. •Tailor your approach to development to the individual needs of each team member. Consider their strengths, interests, and aspirations. •Provide them with the resources and support they need to achieve their development goals (time, money, and access to training and development opportunities). •Be patient because development takes time. Don't expect team members to achieve their development goals overnight.
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Linda M.
Chief Business Strategist @ LSMB Business Solutions, LLC | Business Strategist and Kauffman FastTrac® Certified
Support your team outside of work. Knowing their passions and interests can help you to provide invaluable connections and opportunities that support their dreams....and it also gives you the opportunity to learn and/or experience something you may know little about. People work harder for those who they feel are invested in them personally.
A fifth way to build purpose and meaning in your team is to foster a sense of belonging and community among your team members. You can do this by creating a positive and inclusive team culture, where you promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and where you respect and appreciate each other's differences and similarities. You can also encourage social interactions and connections, by organizing team-building activities, events, or rituals, and by creating a space for your team to share their stories, passions, and hobbies. By fostering a sense of belonging and community, you create a strong and supportive team bond, and enhance your team's well-being and satisfaction.
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Chin Teik Cheah
Founder and President, Author, Action-Learning NeuroLeadership Coach/Facilitator, Business Consultant, Podcaster - Transforming how we lead and manage self, others & communities
🔆 Watch out for #Groupthink and Social Loafing ❎ reduces sense of belonging and community ✳️ groupthink results in “yes people” 🔸 encourage dissent for creativity and voice ✳️ social loafing is present when 🔸 team size is too big 🔸 roles are not clear 🔸 low to no role accountability
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Edwin Dirghantara
Chief Fun Officer @SeriouzFun | Certified Trainer - Facilitator - Assessor - Auditor - Consultant | Digital Storyteller
A few tips for leaders on how to foster a sense of belonging and community in their teams: •Be intentional: don't leave team building to chance, help them to socialize and connect with each other. •Be inclusive: make sure that everyone feels included in team-building activities and events. This means being mindful of different backgrounds, identities, and abilities. •Be authentic: be yourself and create a space where team members feel comfortable being themselves. •Be supportive: be there for your team members when they need you. Provide them with support and resources when they are facing challenges.
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Hong Nguyen Thi
People and Culture Manager @ Austal
First thing first would be to ask team members the question: what is the purpose of your life? If they think they can find their purposes in their work at the place they are now working, then try to relate it with the company's, the department's and their job position's purposes so they can see a clear picture and have a feeling of belonging. Emphasize on how important and meaningful their work is to the organization and in what ways they can add values.
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Raji S Pillai
HR Manager | Empowering Start-ups: Building Strong Cultures & Well-being | HR Team Building and Systems | HR Strategies & Employee Counseling Expert | Ex-Amazon
To foster purpose and meaning in your team, prioritize open communication, emphasizing each member's contributions. Encourage shared goal-setting aligned with personal values, promoting a sense of belonging. Provide developmental opportunities, emphasizing the impact of their work. Celebrate achievements and offer autonomy, nurturing a sense of ownership and empowerment.
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Swati Chawla
Global Director Wellbeing II 40under40 II I help organizations to create culture of Wellness with Innovation, Strategy & Passion to Heal II Trust & Safety, DEI, CSR, Employee Experience & Benefits, T&D, POSH TRAINER
Fostering open communication, aligning individual goals with a shared vision, recognizing contributions, and providing opportunities for personal growth can help build purpose and meaning in a team. Regular team-building activities and a positive work culture also contribute to a sense of purpose.
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