How to Encourage Employees to Fuel Their Purpose & Passion

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passion & purpose

What are you eating for breakfast these days? A cup of mundane, with a splash of complacency? Or maybe a side of burned-out toast? What if there is a way to switch up what you are feeding your employees and yourself, guided by one’s purpose and passions?

 

Internationally best-selling author Mel Robbins explains purpose and passion like this: "purpose is about others, what you do for the world." Passion is about you, things in your life that energize and keep you growing. Our bodies are designed to send us signals about how we feel, and it does every day. If you are hungry, your stomach growls. If you are thirsty, your throat feels dry. Our body does the same thing when it comes to meeting our higher-level needs.

 

There is a physiological response when we are working within a purpose or passion. We receive cues, signals from our sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. It can come in the form of a dull urging, increased heart rate, or uptick in energy. Your body’s way of reinforcing that what you are experiencing may fall in line with your purpose and passion.

 

New York Times best-selling author Amy Jo Martin says it best: "where purpose, passion, and skill collide, bliss resides." Each of us wants to derive meaning from life’s experiences. We want to know that what we do and who we are matters. That we can create an impact, start change, and help others. These are the core motivators to keep in mind as you implement Operation Excitement, tapping into an employee’s purpose and passion.

 

Here are a few steps to help you get there.

 

Take Inventory

 

Before offering up tasty engaged treats to your employees, take stock by assessing your organization. What is the culture? What conversations are you having with your employees - professionally and personally? Do they feel valued and appreciated? What makes an organization from good to great is leading and encouraging employees to reach their higher-level needs. Our Corporate Culture Workshops and coach|sulting® are great ways to help you take inventory of your organization.

 

Go Shopping

 

The act of drawing these ideas out of your employees is as simple as creating a list. Take a sheet of paper, and on one side, write jobs, tasks, or activities that leave you feeling energized. On the other side write jobs, tasks, or activities that leave you feeling depleted. Set a timer for 25 minutes and write with no limits, no hesitations, and no filters. Often, we put constraints on the creative process because we are unsure how to make it happen. This is not the time for constraints. Just let the ideas flow on your paper.

 

Prep

 

Bring all your ingredients together and start planning different strategies your organization wants to implement. Each employer has different needs, constraints, policies, and culture. Adjust and adapt to meet your needs. Remember, encouraging people to pursue their purpose and passion is not about adding more to their plate when it is already full. It is about finding ways to incorporate it throughout their workday or company gatherings.

 

The following are a few ideas to get the juices flowing:

  • Dedicate a day to Operation Excitement
  • Design specific programs that utilize your employee’s purposes and passions
  • Create PODS where employees can connect and be energized with other like-minded people
  • Review job descriptions to find areas of change to meet the needs of your employees better
  • Grant employees the opportunity to volunteer and give back to the community
  • Bring together a task group responsible for implementing strategies

Be sure to keep your employees informed about your new program and how it aligns with your organization’s mission and culture. Test the plan, get feedback, adjust and reimplement. Creating Operation Excitement for your organization takes time. Making progress towards this initiative lets your employees know you care about them, their happiness, and the impact they can make personally and professionally. That is what we should be serving our employees to keep them engaged, achieving, and serving. It creates a happier culture, which creates a more profitable business. 

 

Want to learn more ways to increase employee engagement? DH offers virtual & on site solutions to help you design a culture that creates happier employees which leads to happier customers & higher profits. 

People Strategy Sessions

About the Author

Melissa Vande Kieft

Melissa Vande Kieft is the Founder of Living in the Wait, an online resource to encourage and guide those in a season of waiting. She created this site from her own experience of navigating infertility.

 

With 15 years of experience as an event planner, Melissa enjoys all things related to logistics and details and recently hosted the Living Through Infertility Summit.

 

She’s a motivational speaker, Fertility Coach, and Consultant, and is currently writing her first book. In her spare time, you’ll find her in the great outdoors with her guy, Ry, and two-year-old daughter, Crosbee.

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