HOW TO FIND PURPOSE IN WORK Katharina Probst QCon Brazil May 2019 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

HOW TO FIND PURPOSE IN WORK Katharina Probst QCon Brazil May 2019

What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow? 2

HELLO! I am Katharina Probst I’m a Senior Engineering Manager at Google. You can find me at www.linkedin.com/in/katharinaprobst 3

Motivation What motivates people? 4

THE DEBATE ABOUT COMPENSATION Is it all about money? Conversely, when people say that money does not motivate them, are they truthful? 5

“ “There are many examples to show that people will work more for a cause than for cash.” Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions 6

LEGO STUDY - SETUP Subjects assemble lego fi figurines, get paid based on how many they assemble. Two conditions Meaningful: fi figures were lined up in front of subject. ╺ Sisyphus: fi figures were immediately disassembled. ╺ Dan Ariely, Emir Kamenica, Dražen Preleca, Man’s search for meaning: The case of Legos 7

LEGO STUDY - RESULTS Students in the “meaningful” group did much more work. What is the “meaning” here? Dan Ariely, Emir Kamenica, Dražen Preleca, Man’s search for meaning: The case of Legos 8

WHAT MOTIVATES? Mastery Autonomy Purpose Daniel Pink, Drive 9

Purpose Connecting to something bigger. 10

PERSONAL MOTIVATION EXAMPLES Making money Getting promoted Using a specifi fic programming language/technology Are these fulfi filling long-term? 11

JOBS WITH MORE OBVIOUS PURPOSE Doctors and nurses Teachers Medical researchers 12

JOBS WITH LESS OBVIOUS PURPOSE Cafeteria workers Tour guides Musicians Programmers 13

JOB CRAFTING (THE POSITIVE KIND) Within the boundaries of one’s job, fi find ways to craft it to make it more meaningful and/or more satisfying to the employee. More autonomy can lead to more job crafting. Justin M. Berg, Jane E. Dutton, Robert L. Kahn, Amy Wrzesniewski: What is Job Crafting and Why Does It Matter? 14

EXAMPLES OF JOB CRAFTING Cafeteria worker going above and beyond to get me my favorite bread. 15

EXAMPLES OF JOB CRAFTING Programmer at Netfl flix contributing to code that helps tell important stories to the world. 16

EXAMPLES OF JOB CRAFTING Manager who helps employee fi find a new role in the same company. 17

EXAMPLES OF JOB CRAFTING Employee at kitchen supply store who points out mistakes by contractor to protect customer. 18

What can leaders do? Leaders can play an important role in helping employees find their purpose in work. 19

“ “It's as simple as this. When people don't unload their opinions and feel like they've been listened to, they won't really get on board.” Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable 20

“ “Leadership requires two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate it.” Simon Sinek, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action 21

THE POWER OF STORIES The best story tellers Paint a picture of the future Get people rallied around their idea(s) Stories have a way of getting people to connect to an idea and remember it 22

THE POWER OF REINFORCEMENT Remind employees (and yourself) of the big picture. Remind employees (and yourself) of their role in the big picture. 23

“ “If you have to drive people that hard to do their job, then you’ve either got the wrong people, or you’ve got the right people doing the wrong job.” John P. Strelecky, The Big Five for Life 24

TOURS OF DUTY Limited-time assignment, e.g., foreign assignment for 2 years. Company benefi fits, employee benefi fits Reid Hofffman, The Alliance 25

TOURS OF DUTY GENERALIZED Any project can be a tour of duty. Divide your career into tours of duty. Every tour of duty should be new in some way (e.g., more responsibility). How does each tour of duty fi fit with your personal purpose? 26

What can we all do? 27

THE ROLE OF MASTERY Mastery requires ongoing work over a long time. High levels of mastery lead to Higher job satisfaction Higher recognition (which in turn can lead to higher satisfaction) 28

SENSE OF PURPOSE AS A LEARNED SKILL Question your motivations. Remind yourself of the bigger picture. Don’t underestimate your impact on others. Keep working on it. 29

SENSE OF PURPOSE AS A CAREER BOOSTER? People who focus on getting promoted don’t. People with a sense of purpose do. 30

Conclusion 31

KEY TAKE-AWAYS 1. Purpose is essential piece to motivation at work. 2. Finding purpose can come in many ways: Job crafting. 3. Leaders play an important role. 4. Finding purpose takes ongoing work, but can be a career booster. 32

What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow? 33

QUESTIONS 34