Page 187 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win
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THE WHY OF WORK
accomplishment versus connection versus empowerment),
but there is a high payoff for leaders who find out what gives
an employee passion for the job: Is this salesman energized
by making a difficult sell or raking in low-hanging fruit?
Does this medical researcher care more about curing dia-
betes or chronic pain? Does this computer programmer get
excited about really complex technical problems or really
useful applications? In any work setting, individuals who
find their work energizing are more engaged and more
likely to be productive. Tests of work passion include the
extent to which an employee wakes up excited about coming
to work rather than dreading work, the extent to which an
employee talks about work with a sense of possibilities rather
than limitations, and the extent to which an employee gives
discretionary energy to the task at hand.
Enjoyable
Intrinsically motivating work is enjoyable. Enjoyable does
not mean liking all of the work all of the time. Every job
has aspects that become routine, tiring, or draining. But big
chunks of the work will be inherently satisfying. Dave likes to
create words and images to make complex ideas simple and
memorable. One day he was listening to a group of about
10 senior HR executives talk about their challenges. Dave
noticed that many of the executives described their work
using frameworks and vocabulary Dave and his colleagues
had developed. He had a private moment of enjoyment in
seeing his ideas have impact, even though no one attributed
them to him or knew where they came from.
When leaders help channel employees into work that is
easy, energizing, and enjoyable for them, their sense of abun-
dance increases.
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