Emotional Intelligence: Purpose Meaning + Passion
Various Contributors
Harvard Business Review Press (May 2018)

“The way to do is to be.”  Lao Tzu

HBR Press has a new series of anthologies (nine volumes thus far) of articles in which contributors offer proven research that shows how our emotions impact our work lives, practical advice for managing difficult people and situations, and inspiring essays on what it means to tend to our emotional well-being at work. Uplifting and practical, these books describe the social skills that are critical for ambiguous professionals to master.

If you were to purchase reprints of the ten articles in this volume separately, the total cost would be $89.95. Amazon now sells the volume for only $13.38.

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Here is a brief excerpt from each of the articles:

From Finding Meaning at Work, Even When Your Job is Dull

“Do you experience meaning at work — or just emptiness?

“In the United States people spend on average 35 – 40 hours working every week. That’s some 80,000 hours during a career — more time than you will spend with your kids probably. Beyond the paycheck, what does work give you? Few questions could be more important. It is sad to walk through life and experience work as empty, dreadful, a chore — sapping energy out of your body and soul. Yet many employees do, as evidenced by one large-scale study showing that only 31% of employees were engaged.

“We have compiled a list based on our reading of literature in organization behavior and psychology. Many theories speak to meaning at work, including need-based, motivational, status, power, and community theories. The phrase “meaning at work” refers to a person’s experience of something meaningful — something of value — that work provides. That is not the same as “meaningful work,” which refers to the task itself. Work is a social arena that provides other kinds of meaningful experiences as well.”

Morten Hansen is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and at INSEAD, France, as well as author of Collaboration. Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and author of Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life.

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From What to Do When Your Heart Isn’t in Your Work Anymore:

“Assess what you want out of your work — at this point in your life. Not everyone wants a high-powered career. In fact, according to research by Yale professor Amy Wrzesniewski, people tend to fall into one of three categories: Some see their work as a career; others see it as just a job; and still others see it as a calling. It’s this third category of people, perhaps unsurprisingly, who exhibit higher performance and a greater sense of satisfaction with their jobs. The key for you is to determine what you care about now — what drives you, what you’re passionate about, what truly motivates you — and build from there. It’s quite possible that what drove your career in your 20s is no longer appealing. Don’t force your 40-, 50-, or 60-year-old self into your 20-year-old sense of ambition. Even if you don’t find your true calling, you will at least increase the odds of finding a meaningful work experience.

Andy Molinsky is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Brandeis International Business School. He’s the author of Global Dexterity and Reach. You can receive his free Guide to 10 Cultural Codes from Around the World and Guide to Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone.

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From You Don’t Find Your Purpose — You Build It:

“How do you find your purpose? That’s the wrong question to ask. We should be looking to endow everything we do with purpose, to allow for the multiple sources of meaning that will naturally develop in our lives, and to be comfortable with those changing over time. Unpacking what we mean by “purpose” can allow us to better understand its presence and role in our lives.”

John Coleman is a coauthor of the book, Passion & Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders. Follow him on Twitter at @johnwcoleman.

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From How to Find Meaning in a Job That Isn’t Your True Calling:

“What they — and many of us, I think — fail to realize is that work can be meaningful even if you don’t think of it as a calling. The four most common occupations in America are retail salesperson, cashier, food preparer/server, and office clerk — jobs that aren’t typically associated with “meaning.” But all have something in common with those that are, such as clergy, teachers, and doctors: They exist to help others. And as Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, has shown, people who see their work as a form of giving consistently rank their jobs as more meaningful.”

Emily Esfahani Smith is the author of The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed With Happiness (Crown, 2017) and an editor at the Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, where she advsises the Ben Franklin Circles project, a collaboration with the 92nd Street Y and Citizen University to build meaning in local communities.

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From You’re Never Done Finding Purpose at Work:

“Take into account all three types of purpose — personal, job, and organization. But don’t shortchange your personal purpose, which is a common error, according to A. R. Elangovan, professor at the University of Victoria. As he told me, ‘Especially in contrast to organizational and role purpose, where multiple stakeholders shape the outcomes, my advice is to invest as much effort, if not more, in figuring out our personal purpose.’

“Life is short. You deserve to work in a role, and for an organization, where your personal purpose shines. But you cannot leave it up to the organization, your boss, or your team. It really does come down to you defining and enacting your purpose.”

Dan Pontefract is the author of The Purpose Effect: Building Meaning in Yourself, Your Role, and Your Organization, and Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization. He is Chief Envisioner at TELUS.

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From From Purpose to Impact:

“What creates the greatest leaders and companies? Each of them operates from a slightly different set of assumptions about the world, their industry, what can or can’t be done. That individual perspective allows them to create great value and have significant impact. They all operate with a unique leadership purpose. To be a truly effective leader, you must do the same. Clarify your purpose, and put it to work.”

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From Five Questions to Help Your Employees Find Their Inner Purpose:

“How can leaders help employees find meaning at work?

“Organizations spend considerable resources on corporate values and mission statements, but even the most inspiring of these — from Volvo’s commitment to safety to Facebook’s desire to connect people — tend to fade into the background during the daily bustle of the work day.

“What workers really need, to feel engaged in and satisfied by their jobs, is an inner sense of purpose. As Deloitte found in a 2016 study, people feel loyal to companies that support their own career and life ambitions — in other words, what’s meaningful to them. And, although that research focused on millennials, in the decade I’ve spent coaching seasoned executives, I’ve found that it’s a common attitude across generations. No matter one’s level, industry or career, we all need to find a personal sense of meaning in what we do.”

Kristi Hedges is a senior leadership coach who specializes in executive communications and the author of The Inspiration Code: How the Best Leaders Energize People Every Day and The Power of Presence: Unlock Your Potential to Influence and Engage Others. She’s the president of The Hedges Company and a faculty member in Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership..

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From How to Make Work More Meaningful for Your Team:

“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.”

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From The Power of Small Wins

“To become an effective manager, you must learn to set this positive feedback loop in motion. That may require a significant shift. Business schools, business books, and managers themselves usually focus on managing organizations or people. But if you focus on managing progress, the management of people—and even of entire organizations—becomes much more feasible. You won’t have to figure out how to x-ray the inner work lives of subordinates; if you facilitate their steady progress in meaningful work, make that progress salient to them, and treat them well, they will experience the emotions, motivations, and perceptions necessary for great performance. Their superior work will contribute to organizational success. And here’s the beauty of it: They will love their jobs.”

Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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From The Founder of TOMS on Reimagining the Company’s Mission

“I knew why I had started the company, and why people joined me in the early days. And I still believed in our mission and the impact we were making. But I was no longer sure why I wanted—or even if I did want—to continue driving the business forward.

“Eventually I came to a surprising conclusion: I felt lost because TOMS had become more focused on process than on purpose. We were concentrating so hard on the “what” and “how” of scaling up that we’d forgotten our overarching mission, which is to use business to improve lives. That is our greatest competitive advantage: It allows us to build an emotional bond with customers and motivate employees, because they know they are shopping and working for a movement bigger than themselves.

“After my time away from the business, I returned with renewed energy. My mission was clear: Make TOMS a movement again.”

Blake Mycoskie is the founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS. Here is a direct link to the complete HBR article.

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This collection of HBR articles is a “must read” for any executive who wishes to accelerate their personal growth and professional development.