A Compelling Need to Contribute | Accelerate Success with Lorraine Moore

Both our desire and our capability to contribute – to be involved in meaningful activities – continue throughout our lives. There are a plethora of articles about millennials seeking meaning in their work. This is not new, nor is it limited to young people.

My most successful clients recognize this and involve their employees in discussions regarding their work satisfaction, professional development interests and how to best leverage individuals’ unique talents and interests. These exploratory discussions often foster greater innovation.

“To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.” – Pearl S. Buck

While in San Jose del Cabo I met an inspiring Canadian couple, Barb and Tony. Tony is a retired electrician. While residing in Mexico for 4 months each year, they and another 30 or so friends, firefighters, teachers, entrepreneurs and others, build shelters for families in a remote, mountainous area. For the recipient families to qualify, at least one family member must be is employed and they must purchase the building plot.

Barb commented that she has heard some North Americans say, “I have nothing” without realizing they have so much compared to these families. This couple and their friends are healthy and active and want to contribute to their communities and participate in meaningful “work.”

Dave Hooge, CEO of Stepper Homes, his family and several of his employees have been building homes in El Salvador for many years. Richard Scott, CEO of All Weather Windows, and his teenage daughter joined Dave and the team on one of their trips. Both groups find meaning in building homes for the greater community and they are not unusual in seeking satisfaction of purpose in this way.

What does this mean for you as a leader?

You need the full contribution of your teams now more than ever. There is a limited supply of experienced professionals in many sectors in North America and virtual unemployment in the US and some Canadian regions.
People want to contribute at every stage of their career. Don’t only seek outside expertise for your much-needed innovation. Be sure to also ask your in-house “experts.”
Bring diverse groups together: new employees and long-term employees, spanning different age groups, from different business units and locations. Give them a mandate. Hold them accountable for generating ideas with a forecasted ROI.
Support opportunities for employees to contribute to their community at all ages and stages of their career and lifecycle. Group contribution can be particularly rewarding and builds a stronger work team. Habit for Humanity, Brown Bag Breakfasts, Ride to Conquer Cancer and JDRF are just a few of the popular activities.

As an individual, consider this:

If you are feeling that your ideas are thwarted and/or you see opportunities to improve products or services, to be a disruptive company or to carve out a new niche, document your case, provide data and make a compelling case to the most senior person who will listen.
Start your own business on the side. Test the market.

Upon reaching their 50s, 60s, and 70s, many people are asking, “what’s next?” as they transition to working less or to full retirement. If you are approaching the next chapter in your life – looking for meaningful activities beyond your full-time work, there are as many ways you can achieve this, as there are people. Sometimes it can be hard to figure this out on your own. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Try a variety of things.
Ask others for ideas.
Give back.

Seek the help of a professional or engage friends who have made the transition to the next chapter or a new endeavour.

“You’ve achieved success in your field when you don’t know whether what you’re doing is work or play.” – Warren Beatty

My clients accelerate their results – increasing profitability, leadership performance, innovation, and accountability. I would love to discuss how I might help you thrive and contribute to your overall success. Contact me today.

If you found this beneficial, share this post on social media and be sure to click here to sign up for my newsletter so you never miss a post!