I remember the first time an engineer showed up at the press I was operating to perform a time study. I was terrified! I hadn’t been with the organization very long and had to work as hard as I possibly could just to hit my daily efficiency numbers. I was convinced that this spelled the end for me… ...

I hope I’ve done a reasonable job of making a case for why it ain’t (just) about the pay and how important it is for all of us to be a part of something that matters. A strong purpose is absolutely critical; for our organizations, for us as leaders, and for each member of our teams! And when purpose...

When we’ve done the work to create the kind of atmosphere that great people want to be a part of, because they see the impact our organization makes and they have a desire to be involved in something that matters, and we’ve invested the necessary energy to have at least a foundational level of compe...

If we truly want to help our team members feel like they’re part of something that matters, developing solid relationships by connecting on common ground can provide a great foundation. This isn’t some theory I read in a book, it’s something I saw a few managers demonstrate and something I experienc...

I can’t think of anyone I know who doesn’t want to be part of something that matters, something bigger than themselves. We can all think of folks who believe they’re owed something, and say they work harder just as soon as they’re paid what they deserve, but I’m willing to bet nearly all of them wou...

Have you ever seen a professional sports team that’s absolutely stacked with talent but rarely, if ever, wins a championship? The older I get, the less I can tolerate the ever-increasing nonsense that’s seemed to have taken over professional sports so I can’t speak in much detail about any specific ...

Now that we’ve worked through a big-picture idea covering the importance of leading with a clear purpose and some very specific steps we can take to paint a clear picture of the purpose our organization is striving to achieve, all while staying dialed in our own definite purpose as we push through i...

Today, Cindy and I have the pleasure of working closely with several organizations where the leaders have created the kind of atmosphere in their respective teams where each member understands the purpose they’re working to achieve and how their daily responsibilities connect with their company’s mi...

A Harvard Business Review article by former Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly called How to Connect Employees to Your Company’s Purpose opened like this:

When I ask CEOs in the new CEO workshop we run at Harvard Business School to rate the importance of having and living a great corporate purpose to the s...

Since I’ve shared a few things I learned from Jeff Henderson here already, this seems like a great time to include one more. First though, let me provide some perspective. I often talk with business owners and executives who have grown a bit weary after painting a picture of their organization’s pur...

I recently read an article a friend published on LinkedIn called “Why ‘Purpose’ Might Not Be the Answer (and What to Do Instead)” where he opened by saying “lofty purpose statements can feel abstract and disconnected from employees’ day-to-day tasks. Shared challenges, on the other hand, are specifi...

Providing our teams with clarity around the mission, vision, and values that we’re working toward as an organization can be powerful! One thing I see many leaders struggle with though is keeping those in front of their team members consistently. From the start of this look at the importance of leadi...