A ‘Map’ to Help Employees Find Purpose

Daniel Goleman is author of the international best-seller Emotional Intelligence and Optimal: How to Sustain Personal and Organizational Excellence Every Day. He is a regular contributor to Korn Ferry. 

"Why am I here?"

This question is vital to finding purpose and meaning.

In the workplace, it leads to conversations around mission and values. For employees, it’s the key to clarifying goals and unlocking inspiration and engagement.

Marjo Lips-Wiersma, a professor of ethics and sustainability leadership at Auckland University of Technology, has conducted decades of research on meaning and purpose. Her work combines a managerial lens—which focuses on how leadership and organizational culture can provide and manage a sense of purpose—and a humanities lens, which suggests that the will to find meaning is an inherent part of being human.

The idea that we have an intrinsic will to experience purpose isn’t just a spiritual or existential one – it’s rooted in science. Jaak Panksepp, the neuroscientist and psychobiologist who coined the term "affective neuroscience,” described the brain’s seeking system, a series of neural pathways that encourage us to explore, learn, and find meaning. This seeking system involves both the lower and upper parts of the brain. When we follow it, the brain releases dopamine, the “pleasure” chemical linked to motivation and reward.

This is why purpose matters so much to employee engagement and retention – it makes us feel good. While purpose and meaning can happen in many different facets of our lives, work has become one of the places employees look for it the most. According to one survey, 70% of employees say their work defines their sense of purpose.

For organizations and employees, Lips-Wiersma’s “Map of Meaning” might be helpful. The model describes four pathways to experiencing meaning and hence, aligning with a sense of purpose:

●       Integrity with Self: the meaning we get from living and working in alignment with our most authentic values

●       Unity with Others: the meaning we get from belonging to a community or team where we feel supported and joyful

●       Expressing Full Potential: the meaning we experience when our creativity is sparked and we are able to create and accomplish things

●       Service to Others: the meaning we experience when we contribute to the well-being of the world and those around us

According to a recent Work Watch Report from Monster, 45% of employees are considering leaving their jobs within the next year due to dissatisfaction with their role. While the departures may not happen tomorrow or even next month, for many workers, the decision has already made. This means employers are under pressure to treat their workforce well, including guiding them into a deeper understanding of how their values align with those of their firm.

This “map of meaning” covers some of the most significant things employees want from their places of work: values alignment, belonging, teamwork, stretch goals, development opportunities, innovation, and a focus on more than the bottom line.

These are all the things that make work meaningful. When these are at play, “Why am I here?” becomes far easier to answer. 

Co-written by Elizabeth Solomon

Click here to learn more about Daniel Goleman's Building Blocks of Emotional Intelligence.