Firmly in the driver’s seat with a functioning process

Gallup has been the doomsday sayer of employee disengagement for the past two decades.

Every year, there’s some new study about how seventy percent of employees nationwide are actively disengaged at work. And how leaders and managers should make caring for their best assets a higher priority, transforming for their workplace into a fulfilling and motivating experience.

But what about the employees? Is it not their responsibility to meet the company halfway?

Because like all relationships, engagement is a two way street. It’s cocreated. The organization isn’t the only one who owns the engagement equation.

Someone who is engaged, regardless of who pays their salary, actively seeks opportunities to learn and develop on their own. They don’t over depend on their employers to provide for them. And they’re not expecting and demanding to receive engagement as some sort of corporate entitlement program.

Frankl comes to mind, whose book on man’s search for meaning is unquestionably one of the most influential books of all time. And nothing against the good doctor, but the entire premise of his book is misguided.

Because meaning is made and not found. If man tries to search for it, he is less likely to find it. But if he actively creates meaning, then he sits firmly in the driver’s seat with a functioning process, rather than slouching in the back with a hope and a prayer.

Look, not every job is perfect. In fact, not any job is perfect. It’s called work for a reason. And there will be many tasks and projects that are not fundamentally engaging.

But that’s where the real work comes in. You can still find a way to make the work engaging to you. It depends how creative and flexible you are at framing and channeling your passions, values and talents.

Working at an advertising agency that produced public service announcements for communicable diseases wasn’t exactly the sexiest or most exciting copywriting gig in the world. But the very human experience of learning about personal wellness and public health made me feel like a healthier, savvier and more empathetic citizen of the world.

And that engaged me on my own terms, regardless of whether or not our agency founder built a culture where employees were engaged.

Meaning is made, not found, remember. It’s a choice.

Another example was my job on the marketing team at a legal tech company. Do you think working at a startup that advocated for air passenger rights in co foreign countries was my lifelong dream?

Hell no. Couldn’t have cared less about that. But the opportunity to proactively use all of my talents to build a consumer brand from the ground up was fabulously fulfilling experience. One that could have easily been downplayed had my attitude been one of entitlement and deservedness. Waiting around for the company to engage me.

But because meaning is made, not found, my employee engagement wasn’t an issue.

How much responsibility are you taking for your own level of engagement?

If you don’t think your employer is doing enough to make you want to stay, perhaps you’re not meeting them halfway.

It takes two to tango baby, even on the job.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Will you chase meaning and come up empty handed, or will you create meaning and wrap your arms around gold?