Our daily tasks are like splashing in the ocean, but our impact is like riding waves.
Mired in emails and meetings, it’s easy to fixate on the splashes and overlook the waves – the significance and meaning of our jobs.
Research shows that reminding people of the importance of their job increases their intrinsic motivation and productivity. That makes sense – the more critical we feel, the more effort we exert, the more we persevere.
As leaders, it’s essential to remind our people (and ourselves!) of the significance and the meaning of their work.
How? By connecting the splashes to the waves.
- Visit customers (internal colleagues/departments and external purchasers) to discover how they use a product or service
- Ask clients to share the positive benefits (the impact!) of using that product or service
- Have people collect and read customer testimonials at each team meeting
- Invite clients to share with the team (in person or via video) their success stories from using a product or service
- Save and post customer thank you emails and cards
Our splashes are necessary, but we cannot neglect the waves we make. Our perseverance depends on it!