What are you giving?

To your team, your workplace, your community?

Recently, about 20 members from our Gannett People team volunteered by sorting and packaging food for those in need.  A satisfying and humbling day to say the least.  I have often cited the work my wife does with students less fortunate in our county.  She lives in the middle of “the struggle” every day.  Yet she also sees a community that is selfless, giving and caring for others even LESS fortunate than themselves. 

Have you ever realized the impact “giving” has? Research proves the science of giving back and the positive benefits it has on a person.  As leaders, we must lead by example.  Our communities need us. 

And then this morning when I arrived at the office… I read a great article about making work more meaningful for our teams (How to Make Work More Meaningful for Your Team – Garrad and Chamorro-Premuzic).  The authors started their article with the often recited anecdote about a custodian at NASA who, when asked by President Kennedy what his job was, responded “I’m helping to put a man on the moon.”  What a sense of purpose!

The article quoted the need to provide purpose, trust, meaning, and value in our work.  Please note, work is not always producing widgets.  I would challenge that our recent day in the community was work – actual work of sorting food coupled with team building, comradery, and a greater sense of purpose. And a bit of humble pie when you see how a bag with only ten items like two juices, two cans of chili, two single servings of cereal, two snacks etc., are three meals for someone.

True “giving” can be a part of our everyday life. The question is, how do we dig into the passions of our teams?  How do we integrate responsibility to others?  How do we balance skills and passions with challenges and problem solving?  How do we recognize and reward continuous improvement? 

Focus on the mission. In today’s workforce, our employees want a sense of purpose.  At Gannett, I really saw this my first month on the job watching how our reporters (and quite frankly, the organization as a whole) was truly mission-based and focused on the greater good.  We have uncovered some terrible things in society (Nassar, lead in the water, overworked truck drivers) and also some great acts of kindness (see Humankind).  But we make a difference, we have impact.  This is what drives our employees to be passionate about their jobs every day. 

T. R. U. S. T.  Who wants to work in an environment without trust?  Who wants micromanaging, controlling bosses, or “I” peers.  Can you quickly say “disengaged”?  How about working for someone who encourages you, respects you, let’s you innovate, let’s you design your role?  As I look back, and many of us will agree – we have all experienced both sides.  I am quite positive on which type of boss I would follow into a war.  Seems clear to me.

Provide meaningful work.  A very real challenge for us as leaders is to provide meaningful work (in and around the everyday (sometimes mundane) parts of our job).  How to divide up the work so everyone feels like they have contributed, like they have a voice, like they are allowed to adventure.  Ask WHY?  Then ask WHY again?  Gannett is a 100+ year-old organization that is both steeped in tradition and ALSO three years into a spinoff that essentially is like a start-up.  Respecting the ways things were done, but challenging the status quo is imperative for growth.  Introducing technology, introducing better processes, reducing administrivia, etc.  In a nutshell, keep your folks from getting bored.  Challenge them to find a better way.  Challenge your team to “own it”.

As stated in the article, “A boss who is relentless but not trusting might seek to “keep people on their toes” by being unpredictable— a sure way to hurt performance and morale.  A boss who is challenging but not curious may come across as a bully, while a boss who’s trusting but not challenging will seem like a pushover. In short, there is a clear difference between making work meaningful and making it fun or easy, just like there is a big difference between an engaged and a happy employee. Whereas engagement results in enthusiasm, drive, and motivation— all of which increase performance and are therefore valuable to the organization — happiness can lead to complacency.  To be a good leader, focus on helping employees find meaning in their achievements, rather than just enjoy their time at the office.”

Finding meaning is one of the great existential questions of life. Some people work their whole lives searching for their purpose.  Research discovered that meaningfulness goes beyond the workplace and is more about finding a connection to humanity, through our jobs.  As leaders we can encourage this by creating a culture of ethics, morals, and corporate social responsibility that joins an employee’s personal values and work-life together. 

Together.  We.  Win.

PS: Schedule time for you and your team to give back.  Pay it forward.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

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