The Search for Meaning

Anna Farmery, host of the Engaging Brand blog and podcast writes today about the one thing that seems to be missing in many businesses…..meaning.  She writes:

          “People want         

• Meaning to their work
• Meaning to their life
• Meaning to their relationships

I'm not going to try to add anything to Anna's words.  That would be foolish on my part.  You can read here post here.  But I would like to pass along a story about Tacony Corporation and brag a bit about some of my coworkers.

 

We have two ladies  at Tacony Corporation, both of whom have been here for many years.  As it happens, I hired one of them, which is one of my prouder moments.

Both of these ladies have recently suffered recurrences of cancer.  One had major surgery this week and the other has started the painful process of chemotherapy.   The way their fellow workers have rallied around these two has been nothing short of amazing!   

You often see companies try “team building” exercises designed to bring people together.  But I’m proud to say that I work with a team that needs no exercises.  The truly care about one another. 

I spent Monday and part of Tuesday this week in the hospital.  So far, all the test results have been good and, frankly, I feel a little silly about the whole thing.  Once again, the care and compassion that I’ve been shown is overwhelming and very humbling.  With two of our fellow associates battling cancer, I don’t feel like I deserve so much attention. 

I only mention my situation to show how incredibly productive it can be when employees do have meaning in their lives and in their work.  As Anna puts it so well,   

“This busy global village can leave people feeling confused. Confused about the real meaning of life. The role of leaders is to work with their teams to bring meaning to part of their lives...by bringing meaning you create a culture in which engagement can flourish.”

P.S.  I would encourage you and everyone you care about to get regular physical checkups.  Modern medical science can work wonders if they catch something early enough.

Comments

[Anna Farmery]

Wow, I cannot imagine what you and your team are going through. I remember a credit controller having a stroke and visting her at her bedside as she slipped away. It was humbling that her family wanted me there...why did I want to be...because she was a very much loved member of the team...not a number. The more meaning we can give, the better....my very good wishes to you all Anna x

[Mike Buckley]

Anna,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. Business is all about people working together. As you pointed out in your original post, we all want "meaning".

I think the key is to align the three different meanings (work, life, relationships). A disconnect will result in confusion and conflict and a very unhappy workforce.