What’s the meaning?

Why is meaning important?
When we have more meaning we have more of a reason WHY. I think this ‘why’ is summed up well by the 19th Century German Philosopher Frederich Nietzsche who said ‘He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how’.

On a personal level, with meaning we have more motivation, and are more resilient in the face of obstacles. But what about in the workplace?

If you asked your employees the following questions what would their responses be and how much would they actually care?

• Why does our business exist?
• What purpose does it serve in the lives of our customers?
• How can we keep our products and services relevant to the lives of customers as markets, technology and other circumstances change?

The implication from Nietzsche’s quote above is that you should seek to build as much meaning and relevance into your business and brand as you can. If employees and customers care about and feel connected to your brand the more likely they’ll be to choose, and then recommend you to others and forgive you when things don’t go so well.

How can you build meaning?
Well a good place to start is asking the three questions above. With purpose people understand why your business exists. But your business also needs a guiding star in the shape of a vision, giving direction to your people and showing them the way. Finally your business values help determine ‘how we do things around here’ helping to connect both customers and employees with your brand.

Evolving meaning
It’s very easy to get bogged down and try to create something perfect rather than evolving as things get thrown at you. New challenges will be encountered, new customers and products developed. You will have to change and grow for your business to stay relevant.  This is equally true for individuals also.

Whilst there are many ways of building meaning it’s my belief that the most successful approach is to engage and involve the very people you’d like to be inspired. So go on, create more meaning, connection and relevance in your business but expect to have to adapt, evolve and change over time.

Improveon helps improve brand, team and personal performance. Call or contact David now to find out how Improveon can help you build more meaning.