Gratitude.

Gratitude

As I sit on the train heading down to Portland, it gives me a chance to pause and reflect on the gratitude I am feeling for where I am right now. Since I launched Volta People Services several months ago, it’s been a whirlwind. I thought I would have a lot more time to blog, work on content, network, and have more time for family and friends. Even though it hasn’t quite panned out the way I expected, I am particularly thankful that my first client pulled me out of my “break,” and back into the thick of true organizational development work. After working with a few high-growth companies, there have been themes arising with some simple things that anyone can do to help drive engagement and a positive culture at their company. Two of the themes I have repeatedly seen, are that employees want to feel more appreciated, and they also want to understand how their work connects to a higher purpose.

Show Appreciation

‘Tis the season, isn’t it?  It seems so simple, but at almost every company I have worked with, employees are not feeling appreciated or valued for what they do. Buying a pizza lunch for your team doesn’t quite do it. The reality is that people like to be recognized in different ways, but all employees need frequent and specific feedback about what they do well. A simple thank you is nice, but it’s even better when you call out a specific behavior that you want to continue seeing: “I appreciate your courage in the team meeting today. You spoke up about something that was hard, and you helped create a more open environment for a discussion we needed to have.” Simple statements like this can be very meaningful, and will reinforce the continuation of desired behavior into the future. A verbal or written thank you will be appreciated by almost anyone, so what are you waiting for?  By all means, if you have the budget for greater rewards, then go for it.  As we head into the season of gratitude, we could all use a reminder to express a genuine and thoughtful thank you to the people we work with and to those in our community.

Connect to a Higher Purpose

It’s also the season where people frequently reflect on a greater meaning or purpose in the world. What is our purpose?  Why are we here? How am I contributing to the world? Some people think about these types of questions more than others. However, research overwhelmingly shows that at work, employees really want to know how their job connects to a higher purpose. People want their work to be meaningful. Purpose is strongly correlated with engagement at work, driving up to 4 times engagement, and outperforming the market by up to 15 times. Businesses frequently struggle with articulating their vision, mission and purpose. Why is that? Because it is hard work, it takes a lot of focused time, and because people have lots of opinions. Leaders need to lean into this work, align on the purpose, and then shout it from the rooftops. If you don’t have your vision and mission perfectly landed, then take time to simply connect why someone’s work is important to the bigger picture: “That airplane had a really tight turnaround, and because you were able to load the bags so quickly, those people heading to Hawaii will all have their suitcases and swimsuits.” Statements like this show employees how their work contributes to someone’s vacation going much better, because they had their suitcase when their dream vacation started.

I know I don’t always show enough gratitude, nor do I always connect work to a higher purpose, but this season, I am trying to do better.  As I head into Thanksgiving week, I am incredibly thankful to my first few clients who believed in me, showed me appreciation, and let me know how I helped their company.

Many thanks to those I work with, and to my family and friends who have really showed up with a lot of support and encouragement this year.

Sara