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Leadership Unlimited is a career column by Terry Wall, MBA '97. Terry is a recognized expert on strategy, leadership, and productivity, who will share his experiences and tips each month.
Alumni are encouraged to send comments, questions or suggestions for future column topics to alumni@drexel.edu.
Labor Day reminds me that although the unemployed would be happy with any kind of job, meaningful work is a key to employee engagement and satisfaction. Meaningful work is the difference between a job you do just for the paycheck, and the job you look forward to every day.
As Fyodor Dostoevsky said, "Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence; they go stark, raving mad." Ok, maybe they won't go mad, but they certainly will be mad. Mad at their plight, at their bosses, at their companies. And angry people just don't do the best work.
That's why leaders should be doing everything they can to provide "meaningful" work. No matter how menial the work may be, it's up to the leaders to show the employees the connection between the work (the tasks and activities) and the noble purpose.
Somehow that work makes the world a better place, and leaders need to uncover this purpose, and focus the employees on it.
As I've said before, that purpose usually involves serving the customer. The work makes the world a better place by serving customers, solving customers' problems, making the customers' worlds better places. When employees focus on this, employees' worlds become better places.
So this Labor Day, commit to making every day a celebration of meaningful work, and employee engagement. Ask yourself some questions: What are you doing to provide meaningful work? How are you connecting the job tasks and activities to the grand or noble purpose?
Terry Wall, MBA '97, accelerates success for individuals and organizations. For individuals, he accelerates success through coaching. For organizations, he accelerates success by building winning teams, working with management teams in groups. Either way, Terry teaches people how to improve how they manage and lead, so that they and their direct reports are more engaged in their work, more committed to organizational goals, and more productive in what they do.
That accelerates success. That improves profitability.
Terry specializes in strategic planning, leadership development, change management, corporate culture, and productivity improvement. He works in a wide range of industries, including service and manufacturing, non-profit, and large and small organizations. He is a skilled facilitator who provides coaching on individual, executive, or team levels.
A recognized expert on strategy, leadership, and productivity, Terry has a B.A. in psychology from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, and an MBA from Drexel University in Philadelphia. He is a professional speaker, and a professional writer who coauthored a book on teambuilding, and has been published in many publications.
Terry Wall accelerates success, and improves profitability, for individuals, teams, and organizations. |
October 2009
4 Best Practices to Destroy Employee Retention
January 2010
What is Responsibility Based Management, Engaging Leadership?
February 2010
Do You Have a Leadership Deficit?
March 2010
Trust is the Foundation of Leadership, Teamwork, Sales
June 2010
Look in the Mirror First, but Beware of Blind Spots
August 2010
Five Strategies to Improve Company Profitability
October 2010
The Leader's Role as Teacher, and the Threat to Put My Hand in the Shredder
December 2010
The First 48 Principle of Conflict Resolution
January 2011
Talk Makes People Do Awful Things
March 2011
3 Reasons to Pursue Social Responsibility
April 2011
Visibility is a Great Leadership Strategy
July 2011
Casey Anthony and 4 Dysfunctions of a Team
August 2011
Choice is a Key to Motivation, Engagement |
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