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L Vaughan Spencer

By L Vaughan Spencer (June 2008 Issue)
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Is yours a meaningful workplace? Or is it meaningless – or just de-meaning? What does your work mean? What on earth are you doing? I am making the world a better place. But some folk are just making thingumajigs. It’s up to us in the learning & development world (or LearnyDevels as I call us) to make sure that people find meaning in their work, even if they hate their work and all their colleagues and vice-versa.

Meaningfulness is about more than job satisfaction. It’s about making the workplace reflect your values and fulfil your hopes and dreams, which could be tricky if you find yourself photocopying requisites for anti-personnel landmines. The succeeder only does work which accords with his or her values. For example, I have a strict rule: I work only with organisations that pay me.

Work should be about expressing yourself and allowing you to be creative – unless you are an accountant. How do you feel when you go into work on a Monday?

Oh no – not another week
I can’t wait till the weekend when I can do what
I really want
Can I call in sick again?

The Meaningful Organisation is one where a Monday looks like a Friday at other places. Not because everyone goes home after lunch or spends it in the pub. No, it’s that buzz of excitement as you know you are getting your teeth into something really meaningful – like hunting some new supply chain software or allocating desks in the new open-plan office.

Shouldn’t people be finding meaning in their own time? How does meaningfulness add to shareholder value? Well, meaningfulness is vital in the War On Talent. We must create meaningful engagement to retain people, unless they aren’t very good, in which case we should let them go and find meaning at the Job Centre.

Where do we get meaningfulness from outside our jobs? From our children. Well, bring them into work! They can do some stuff around the office, like fetching coffee or moving filing cabinets or agreeing next year’s budget. Or maybe it’s from hobbies - so integrate your hobby and your job! One of my clients was keen on stamp collecting. He was CEO of a major PLC but, thanks to me, he isn’t any more. Now he has plenty more time for his philately as he works as a postman. By the way, check out my book: The Seven Hobbies of Highly Effective People.

How do you create meaningfulness? Think of the Three Rs – Relationship, Respect, Relevance…

Relevance: Is there any point in what I’m doing?

Respect: Does everyone think I’m an idiot?

Relationship: Why is nobody talking to me?

What else are employees seeking? Here are some pointers…

Three Cs: Creativity, Challenge, Company Car

Three Ps: Purpose, Personal Development, Parking Space.

Relationship is the big one. Chat to people you haven’t seen for a while, or go up to people you’ve never met. They may be busy trying to get on with their work – but just tell them you’re being meaningful. Create a Meaningful Space (or MeaniSpace), which has real spiritual resonance where ‘deep dialogue’ can take place and people can leave motorcycle crash helmets and unwashed coffee cups and read old copies of Hello magazine. I find that it also develops a sense of teamwork along with an indefinable smell.

It can be a haven for Motivational Meditation. Old-fashioned meditation is too difficult because you have to think of nothing and chant and do it for a long time in a quiet place. You can do Moti-Meditation at your desk or in the car. Try some now.

Concentrate on my picture at the bottom left of this page. See the ‘succeeder fingers’ I am holding up? The thumb and forefinger make an L: for Life, Love or Lunch – your choice. Make that L-shape with both your hands and point at your ears and very quietly hum “OM, OM, OM” – which stands for Organisational Meaningfulness. Amazing isn’t it? Hasn’t it transformed a dull day into a dream day?

Often I use this in phone coaching, and the client may spend up to 50 minutes intoning “OM”, while I can get on with checking my emails or sipping a meaningful glass of Chardonnay.

Check out L. Vaughan Spencer’s new training videos and contact him at www.succeed-e-vision.com

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