People crave meaningful work and a sense of purpose. We all have a deep need to know we make a difference in the lives of others. In fact, many times meaning and purpose are more important to people than making a lot of money. This is truer today than it’s ever been. A recent Cone Communications study found that 75 percent of Millennials say they’d take a cut in pay to go to work for a values-driven company.¹

It’s no secret that employees who feel a strong sense of meaning and purpose do better work. They’re more creative, productive, and loyal because they really care. That’s why helping employees connect to purpose and meaning solves the number one problem on a leader’s dashboard: engagement. Nothing engages us quite like a sense of purpose. It also helps us engage others.

Companies that figure out how to consistently connect the people who work for them to that all-important sense of meaning and purpose—creating engagement in the process—have a distinct competitive advantage. The effort from an engaged employee can take a business from average to great. It’s not hard to see why.

The engaged employee is emotionally committed to working on organizational goals. They care about the work product. They understand the impact they have on the company’s success. They take care of equipment and supplies as if they were their own. They understand customer satisfaction means more than just a happy customer. All of this leads to better word of mouth, more customers, and better job security and wages.

Top talent is drawn to organizations that provide meaningful work and places where they feel they can make a difference. If we want to attract and keep the best and brightest employees, we have to inspire in them a strong sense of meaning and purpose. We have to make sure they’re deeply engaged in their work. In a tight job market like the one we’re in right now, we can’t afford not to.

It’s worth noting that this leadership approach works for all generations. According to Gallup: “Understanding a company’s purpose helps employees answer yes to the question ‘Do I belong here?’” Gallup’s research shows that ensuring employees have opportunities to do what they do best every day and emphasizing mission and purpose are the two strongest factors for retaining Millennials, Generation Xers, and Baby Boomers.²

This all begins with making sure you’re the right kind of leader—the kind employees want and need to lead them. And it turns out that this type of leader has some very specific skills and traits.

What Kind of Leaders Drive a Sense of Purpose, Meaning, and Engagement?

Remember, most people don’t leave their job, they leave their boss. The best leaders know this, and they strive to become the kind of boss that truly makes a positive difference in their employees’ lives. They connect to employees in a “heart and mind” way, reaching them on both the rational, data-driven level and the emotional, passion- and values-fueled level.

An article in the Harvard Business Review points out that there are certain leader traits that make jobs more meaningful for employees:

• They are skilled at hiring for values and culture.
• They are curious and inquisitive.
• They are challenging and relentless.
• They are able to trust people.³

Here are a few of my own thoughts and observations on these traits and their connection to creating a meaningful work environment:

• On values and culture-based hiring . . . For employees to feel that their work is meaningful they need to fit in with the rest of the team. Collaboration connects you to others. Not only does this feel good, it allows people to solve the big complex problems companies often face. (It’s unlikely a single person can do this alone.) If the values and culture are a poor fit for an employee, they won’t work as well on teams. It’s crucial to know how to hire people who will enhance the culture and make the company stronger.
• To do this, look beyond the resume. The resume only tells one part of the story and doesn’t reveal much about how they will collaborate with your team. There are two other big components that reveal more about the personality, habits, and the value system of the applicant. One is behavioral-based interviewing, which gives you a more in-depth look into how an applicant has handled situations in the past related to teamwork, customer service, problem solving, time management, communication, and motivation/values. The other is peer interviewing, which essentially means engaging coworkers who will work closely with the new hire in the interview process. Peer interviewing makes it more likely that the right candidate will be hired, and it also helps existing employees feel invested in that person’s success.
• On curiosity . . . Curious leaders are interested in people and finding new ways to do things. They believe their employees know more—usually far more—about their area of expertise than they (the leaders) do. So they ask lots of questions. They want to know how their employees think, how they would make the company better, how they envision the future. They encourage and empower employees to dig deeper, to look at different angles, and to become good problem solvers. It creates an environment of constant learning, which is good for the company and fulfilling for the employee. Curious leaders also build stronger relationships.
• On relentless challenging . . . Great leaders never stop pushing employees to improve. They hold the bar high and expect others to do the same. This type of leader usually prefers an objective, metrics-based style of performance management. They are crystal clear on what success looks like and they link pay to performance. That means employees either meet their goals (which are tied to the organization’s overall goals and mission), or they don’t. There is very little gray area.
• High performers thrive in this environment. They prefer clarity to vagueness. They like knowing what’s expected of them. This is a fair system and most people appreciate fairness. Plus, when employees know how they will be evaluated, they will rise to the occasion. They’ll self-engage. They’ll find creative ways to meet their goals, then they’ll feel a sense of accomplishment. They’ll clearly see that their hard work contributes to the company’s success. All of this feels good and creates a sense of meaning and purpose that drives them to do even better next time.
• Also, great leaders don’t just preach relentless self-improvement. They live it. And because they also tend to do a lot of mentoring and coaching, employees are inspired by their example.
• On the ability to trust . . . Leaders have to trust their employees to do the job they’ve been hired to do. And yet, it can be challenging for many to delegate and let go. The problem is that when employees are consistently “overmanaged,” they stop thinking for themselves. They’ll never find their wings and fly on their own. Instead of solving their own problems they’ll constantly be looking for you to lead them out of the wilderness.
• This lack of trust rarely serves the organization well. After all, when leaders constantly have to be in the thick of projects that employees are (or should be) perfectly capable of handling, they never get their own work done. In an increasingly complex world, there just isn’t time for hand-holding. And employees won’t feel the sense of purpose that comes from contributing in a real and meaningful way.

Some leaders naturally do these things well. Others need to work at them. The good news is that when you have the will to improve as a leader, you’ll eventually find the skill.

How to Be a “Best Odds” Boss for Engaging Employees

In addition to these four big, overarching behaviors what are the other traits that create the best odds environment for promoting engagement and connecting to purpose? Here are a few leadership best practices that are especially effective:

• The best leaders are very intentional about creating environments of engagement. It won’t happen by itself. Organizations have to regularly and systemically work to perpetuate an engaged workforce.
• They are approachable and open to feedback. The employee feels they can bring things to the boss and the boss is open and helpful in the conversation. The employee is not fearful of being yelled at or subjected to other forms of retribution. This makes for such a better place because these bosses find out about issues that may be hidden if the employee is scared.
• They are willing to jump in and help employees. The boss is not shy about rolling up their sleeves and pitching in. When they see there is more work than the employee can handle, they don’t go into their office, but get right to work. One of the best examples of this is after roundtable sessions when tables needed to be broken down and put away. The best bosses are the ones that jump right in and help. The same holds true in the workplace, whether it’s a busy restaurant, construction site, or office.
• They don’t ask others to do anything they will not do. Great leaders don’t pick and choose when to jump in. They are willing to do any task they ask others to do. So, when the locker room at Pensacola’s Wahoos Stadium filled up one time with some rather nasty water, all the supervisors who were there pitched right in. This principle also relates to following the rules. I find that one of the most common leadership mistakes is holding employees to standards that you aren’t willing to live up to yourself.
• They get the basics right consistently. For example, the best leaders are predictable on fundamentals like providing feedback, holding people accountable for meeting goals, living up to agreed-upon standards, and making sure everyone has what they need to do a good job. They keep promises and admit when they are wrong. They are fair, transparent, and willing to freely share information. They value employee input. They regularly recognize and reward good performance. This consistency is key to creating trust and respect and creating an environment where employees can flourish. Knowing what the rules are and what to expect from leaders gives employees a solid framework for making decisions. It promotes independence, gets everyone aligned and on the same page.
• They schedule regular training sessions with each employee to provide coaching and development. During these meetings, focus on a developmental goal you have for the employee or a goal the employee shares with you. The vast majority of workers—managers included—want to do a good job. Creating a safe environment to share developmental goals as well as providing coaching is paramount. It’s important to prevent the (very common) situation where the only time a supervisor and employee meet is during an issue (usually a negative one). Actually, when things are going well is a great time to meet.
• They show employees they care about them. They regularly ask about their families, their hobbies, and so forth. They acknowledge birthdays and other significant occasions. Make time to really talk to them, not just on a surface level. This is part of the “heart” connection in the “heart and mind” equation. Don’t just go through the motions or pass the task off to anyone else. Really value it and take care of it personally.
• They regularly connect employees to the mission of the organization. This is the “why” that allows them to feel a sense of purpose. People really need to feel they are making a difference. The “why” is what keeps them going when things get tough. Helping them “connect the dots” between their day-to-day job and its deeply meaningful outcomes touches their heart and fuels passion for their work.

It’s this last skill that truly sews up the employee’s sense of meaning and purpose and helps them get (and stay) engaged. This is not about manipulating or fabricating a sense of meaning and purpose. It’s about consistently saying and doing things that allow people to engage with the meaning and purpose that’s already there.