The Intermediary – April 2025 - Flipbook - Page 67
B RO K E R B U S I N E S S
Opinion
Meaning of life,
the universe
and everything
S
enior people classically
assume those lower down
the line are motivated
by material rewards,
whereas they, themselves
tend towards a search for
meaning. This is probably due to the
gross misunderstanding of Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs as a hierarchy,
rather than a collection of aributes
desired by all. A good leader must
understand how much people need
meaning in their life and work.
In one experiment, researchers
put people into two groups, to pursue
either pleasure or meaning over 10
days. The pleasure group took long
lie-ins, went shopping or played
games. The meaning group forgave
friends, helped people, studied,
thought about values. The pleasure
group immediately reported increased
positive emotions, but these faded
aer three months. The meaning
group was not as happy right aer the
experiment, but rated their lives as
more meaningful, and three months
later felt enriched and inspired.
Meaningful leaders recognise the
desire people possess to be part of
that bigger picture, knowing what
purpose their role fulfils rather than
always looking down at the minutiae
of business. Engaging with employees,
seeking their insights, listening to
their ideas with appreciation and
minimal judgment, are all habits that
facilitate a sense of meaning in others.
Rhetoric can go part of the way, but
the impact dissipates if not followed up
in the day-to-day. Truly meaningful
leaders demonstrate their values
through behaviour, not just words.
Understanding your values,
recognising that others may not
automatically share them, and finding
ways to encourage shared values is
critical to great leadership.
AVERIL LEIMON
is co-founder of
White Water Group
Exploring values
As ever, starting from the inside,
in coaching I would first explore
with my clients their own values,
asking them to complete phrases like
these – adapted from The Positive
Psychology Toolkit:
Finance: Regarding money, my
family taught me to be…; The
best thing about money is…; My
biggest challenge in managing my
money is…; If I found £100 on the
ground, I would…
Career: The main thing I want from a
career is…; I expect my superiors to…;
I would like to earn enough money
to…; The thing I look forward to most
about working is…; The most difficult
part about work is…
Relationships: I respect friends or
partners who…; For my friends or
partner, I aim to be…; One thing I
wish my friends or partner would do
more oen is…; One thing I should
do differently or more of is…; My
biggest challenge in connecting with
others is…
Health: The healthiest thing I do for
myself is…; The least healthy thing
I do for myself is…; I keep physically
active because…; Being healthy is
important to me because…; My biggest
challenge in keeping physically
active is…
Fun and leisure: One thing I like to
do to relax is…; My favourite thing
to do for fun is…; I could bring more
leisure into my life by…; To me,
leisure means…
Development: Growth and learning
is important to me because…; I love to
learn new things because…; If I could
learn more about something, it would
be…; My aitude towards growth and
learning came from…; My biggest
challenge in pursuing growth and
learning in my life is…
Community: To me, community
means…; Community is important
to me because…; I feel connected to
my community when I…; Being part
of my community makes me feel…;
My biggest challenge in keeping
connected with my community is…;
My aitude towards community
came from…
Considering all the above, ask
yourself: What common themes
emerge? What values can you
identify within your responses? What
meaning can you make from your
responses?
Bear in mind that even the people
you appointed will not share your
values. They didn’t grow up in your
life, so how could they espouse your
business values if you don’t find
effective ways of demonstrating them?
An important question remains
around how to cultivate meaning at
work. Key areas to focus on include:
1. Belonging – being recognised and
affirmed, knowing your strengths
and having them recognised by
colleagues makes you feel alive.
2. Purpose – really understanding the
context of the goals you are working
towards. Recognising your skills and
talents give you confidence.
3. Storytelling – stories and legends
help you make sense of the world
around you and the ‘way we do
things round here’. Tapping into
people’s passions raises energy.
4.Values – aligning with values builds
motivation.
Deep Thought took 7.5 million years
of processing to get to 42. Hopefully,
finding your own sense of meaning
won’t take quite as long! ●
April 2025 | The Intermediary
67
