be exclusive to your company’s and
employees’ flavors, so stop comparing
yourself to any other company. Yes, you
can learn from others, but don’t try repli-
cating them exactly. It won’t work.
Here’s how you can create a fun and
engaging environment while adhering to
your company’s culture.
1.
Focus on Fulfillment The
key element of a fulfilling work
environment is a sense of purpose.
Organizations are fairly good about recog-
nizing the overall mission and vision for
the company, but what about their
employees? How does an employee’s “life
mission” contribute and connect with the
company? How does his or her specific
role impact the company’s goals and
intentions?
Employees want to be a part of
something that is greater than themselves.
They want to know that their work has
meaning and creates value for themselves
and for other people. Employees want to
know that the products they create and/or
the services they provide impact others’
lives positively. They want to have a job
that gives meaning to their lives.
I firmly believe every person and job
adds value to this world, you just have to
be able to help people see it. On a job
level, we can help employees look beyond
their tasks to what they create. For
instance, a housekeeper could see her job
simply as cleaning up after people or she
could see herself as a health worker who
creates a place where germs don’t spread,
or as a peacemaker who creates a space
for people to find peace.
On a personal level, your employees
may be focused on leaving a legacy
behind. A legacy helps shape your
purpose and your goals. A legacy can help
determine how to live and work authenti-
cally. It’s something your employees can
bring to work each day and can use to
measure success.
I always try to work with my
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consulting clients to create a six-word
legacy that they can use to help them
make decisions about both work and life.
For example, I had a client who had a
legacy of “leave the pile higher every day.”
To her, this meant making sure she added
to people’s lives more than she took from
them. She would make sure to end
conversations with encouraging words.
She would send thank you cards to
people who brightened her day. This
legacy helped her find meaning and
purpose in her work. Doing this with your
employees could have the same effect.
2.
Encourage Uniqueness
The next element to our fun
environment is uniqueness. Do you allow
“There is no-one-size-
fits-all workplace joy
program. Your
joy-filled workplace
will be exclusive to
your company’s and
employees’ flavors,
so stop comparing
yourself to any other
company.”
your employees to express their
uniqueness or, as I like to call it, their
“flavor of life?” A person’s flavor of life
goes beyond just their talents and
strengths, but let’s look at those elements
first.
Do you know what talents and
strengths your employee brings to the
job? I am not talking about what they are
competent at, but rather, what is in their
zone of genius? I enjoy using the
CliftonStrengths assessment to help to
help individuals and teams become aware
of their unique assets they bring to the
table. The test helps individuals discover
their 34 natural talents and how to use
them to maximize their potential. It also
allows folks to understand how they
naturally think, feel, act and behave. It’s
amazing to witness the Rubik’s Cube
moment when things click into place, and
employees understand why they do what
they do and why their coworkers act how
they act.
Going beyond employees’ strengths
and talents is their unique flavor of life.
This element looks not at what people do,
but who they are being while they work
and live. When we can help employees
tune in to their unique flavors, and then
allow them to express it, we create oppor-
tunities for flow to happen.
Flow is where work is filled with ease
and freedom. This is when people are
working in their sweet spot. When
employees feel free to express their unique
flavor, they shine bright, are passionate
and enjoy the present moment; all of
which create an engaged employee.
The final element of uniqueness is
allowing your employees to create unique
moments of magic and happiness for your
customers. How can you empower them
to use their personality and passions to
create unique experiences for your
customers? It could be as simple as
always wearing a certain color, decorating
their space to give the customer a sense
of who they are, or finding a way to go
above and beyond like collecting business
cards or sending special thank you cards
to customers. Allowing your employees to
show off their unique personalities and
ideas can create amazing customer experi-
ences you never would have thought of.
3.
Nourish Your People
To quote another compelling study,
the 2017 Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being
Index showed a direct connection
between well-being and employee
engagement. The study showed that
employees who are engaged and have a