Engage Me! Personal connection to a meaningful cause

Personal connection to a meaningful cause

Aligning employees' natural strengths, values and passion with the things that are both most valuable and most valued in a given organisational context provides a significant boost to overall workplace engagement levels. There has seldom been a greater need to unlock the passion and talent within employees as well as job seekers and to enable them to develop (or re-develop) a sense of being able to make a difference.

Discretionary effort and meaningfulness

People are more likely to invest themselves and their discretionary effort into things they believe are worthwhile, meaningful and valuable. Leaders at all levels can do a lot to raise employee engagement levels by being clear about, and genuinely committed to an organisation's value proposition.

What really are the benefits to customers or broader society?

Every employee should be aware of and understand the answer to the above question. Those who believe most strongly in the cause and the organisation's value proposition are likely to be amongst those most highly engaged. Those who love it will be on fire. Obviously this exploration may raise some issues regarding person-organisation fit but that aside it is still a great opportunity to strengthen overall engagement levels across the team and organisation. This is also a great opportunity for leadership to revisit the organisations' value proposition if it is not already truly compelling.

Connecting the dots - A personal connection to the greater cause

People are even more likely to invest themselves and their discretionary effort where they believe they can personally make a difference.

What is the connection between any specific role and the organisational goals and vision?

How is each specific individual contributing to the achievement of those high level goals?

How does each employee think they can best contribute to the greater cause?

Does the system or environment allow people to contribute their best?

Leaders who explore these questions and help their team members to see and/or to create clear linkages between their roles, themselves and the organisation's value proposition will open a channel through which each employee can contribute their best.

Valuing each individual's contribution

Recognising each individual's unique contribution, valuing each person for who they are, for their unique talents, unique experiences, unique ideas and unique approaches is uplifting and also confirms that it is possible for that person to make a a unique and valuable contribution to the overall outcome. Leaders who recognise and value that each team member can contribute in a unique personal way stand to raise engagement and to achieve breakthrough and differentiating performance.

"Aligning employees' natural strengths, values and passion with the things that are both most valuable and most valued in a given organisational context will not only achieve better outcomes but also make working in your organisation more fulfilling, meaningful and rewarding."

Scott Constantine - Organisational Development - Performance & Change

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Personal connection to a meaningful cause

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