Page 33 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

on doors. When we need to solve complex problems, pre-
serve the bottom line, and maintain motivation to try again,
the search for meaning moves out of the domain of philos-
ophers and theologians and finds its way to the top of the
to-do lists of hard-minded corporate leaders.
Leaders spearhead the search for meaning in both good
times and bad. In up markets, when talent is scarce, mean-
ing matters because employees are essentially volunteers
who can choose where to allocate their time and energy.
In recessions, employee engagement or satisfaction scores
would be expected to fall with the market; however, many
organizations see false positives on such surveys because of
a gratitude effect (employees compare themselves with their
less fortunate colleagues or friends and are grateful to have
any job at all, even if it is not especially meaningful). Either
way, memories last longer than recessions. Employees who
felt mistreated during a down market or whose meaning at
work is found only in crisis containment are more likely to
leave when things settle down and they have more options.
Consider the following cases of employees and leaders in
different types of companies and at different career stages:

• • Personal insecurities. Vicki, a young professional with
college diploma in hand, felt extremely lucky to win an
ideal job at a top-brand company. She worked hard on
assigned tasks and skillfully negotiated the daily politics
of the office. But during a serious economic downturn
her firm initiated first one and then a second and third
round of layoffs in a matter of months. At first only
lower-performing people were let go; then even tal-
ented, senior people were cut loose to face the shrinking
job market. The atmosphere at the office turned from

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