S2E11: Purpose is the Future of Work with Megan Flanagan

In this episode of Purpose Project, host Leslie Pagel talks with Megan Flanagan about the significance of purpose in the workplace. Megan shares her journey and dedication to understanding and integrating purpose in both her personal and professional life. The discussion explores how purpose is pivotal for workforce well-being, employee engagement, and organizational success. Megan provides insights on how to cultivate purpose among employees, the critical role of managers, and the importance of acknowledging employees' lives outside of work. The episode emphasizes that purpose is not merely a trend but a fundamental aspect of the future of work.

00:00 Introduction to Purpose Project

00:39 Meet Megan Flanagan: A Purpose-Driven Life

01:46 Defining Personal Purpose

05:54 Purpose in the Workplace

09:37 Aligning Personal and Organizational Purpose

17:41 Creating a Purpose-Driven Work Environment

18:59 Recognizing Employees Beyond Their Job Roles

19:53 The 'Love It, Loathe It, Meh' Exercise

23:20 The Importance of Psychological Safety

26:32 Creating Communities of Belonging

30:41 Addressing Employer Concerns

31:55 Purpose for All Employees

34:05 Final Thoughts on Purpose in the Workplace

35:41 Conclusion and Personal Reflection

Purpose Project is a research study on the topic of life's purpose. You can follow along in the making of Purpose Project:
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Transcript

Leslie: 0:04

Hi everyone. My name is Leslie Pagel and this is Purpose Project. In this episode, I sit down with Megan Flanagan to talk about how purpose shows up in the workplace. Megan has been exploring purpose since her college days, and she is someone that prioritizes purpose both. In her personal and her professional life. In this episode, we discuss how purpose is not a fleeting trend, it is the future of work. Let's take a listen. Megan, thank you for joining Purpose Project. I am really looking forward to our conversation about purpose in the workplace.

Megan: 0:47

Leslie, thank you for having me. Really excited to be here today and chat with you all about purpose. One of my favorite topics,

Leslie: 0:53

mine as well. Well, before we get into the, the depths of purpose in the workplace, tell us a little bit about yourself. Both from a personal and professional perspective.

Megan: 1:07

I would describe myself as someone who's a bit of a go-getter. I'm very passionate around the topic of purpose itself and really how that intersects with our careers and with our lives. And I think about that a lot in my own life. I, I dig pretty deep into what my life purpose is, how that carries out in the work that I do day to day, and. Really how it shows up in my community and with the connections around me. So I think about purpose in different layers, and I would also say I kind of identify as someone who has a strong life purpose, wants to bring it to life, and is constantly in, uh, pursuit of that.

Leslie: 1:46

Well, since you went there, everyone on the show gets asked what their life purpose is. What is, so what is yours?

Megan: 1:54

I would say my life purpose is to connect others, to bring new ideas to life, ones that are impactful and to really help inspire others to reach their full potential.

Leslie: 2:04

Nice.

Megan: 2:05

And I do think there's value in getting specific around your purpose, but also keeping it broad enough that you. Have an openness or can, can navigate life's changes. I think if your purpose is so specific to one role or one chapter of life that you're in, you're maybe not opening yourself to the fact that purpose can be broad and it can also intertwine and, um, change throughout the course of one's lifetime.

Leslie: 2:30

Absolutely. Yeah. I, that has definitely been a theme that I've picked up on is how purpose. Can and does evolve throughout our lives. And so being, keeping it kind of broad and open allows for some of that flexibility. Most definitely. Yeah. Anything else about yourself to share?

Megan: 2:54

Yeah, I guess, um, trying to think of what makes me sort of unique in the line of purpose. Um, one of the ways people probably don't know this, just from looking at my LinkedIn profile or learning about me, that I really. Intersect with my purpose is through running. So that is a big part of my life and what I do. And I, I think that by running, it's not only for the pursuit of my own, uh, potential, but also the ability to bring people together. So I'm hosting a women's running retreat this year. I have a, an organization for the sport of. Bringing, women and running together. And I would say that kind of helps, um, feed some of maybe what I don't get in my day-to-day work or my job. Uh, because my job is more business focused and customer facing. Um, the nature of the work isn't such that I'm out to be on the trail all day. So I really love, um, being out in the mountains and, and live in Colorado and I'm able to do and carry out some of my purpose in. Maybe in, in a different context than mm-hmm. Just the day-to-day work that I do.

Leslie: 3:58

Yeah. Yeah. I've seen people where they live out their purpose through their passion. It's, it's how they enact their, their purpose. And it sounds like you love running and it's a, it's a vehicle that allows you to facilitate connection.

Megan: 4:15

Absolutely. Yeah. And I, I don't know where this will come into play in our conversation, but when I was reflecting back on getting clear with my own purpose and the importance in our work, uh, I know we'll be talking today, professional purpose. Mm-hmm. I look back on my college years and actually during my undergraduate degree, there was a class at University of Minnesota. I looked it up. It's still there. So if you go there or you, you know, you're in college now, I recommend it. It's through the Center for Spirituality and Healing, and it's just one semester and it's called Living on Purpose, like an exploration of yourself, your purpose, and your community. And I just wish every college student took a course like that because it was so instrumental for myself to really think. You know what, this is pivotal. This is important that I think about this now and I, I know many people look back on their lives wishing they'd made purpose more of a priority, um, in their work or in their line of work that they choose to go into. And I think it really not only lit me up personally, but also had me thinking how do I carry this out in the courses that I'm taking and the work that I'll be doing? So, yeah.

Leslie: 5:22

Yeah, that is super cool. To have had that at. At a pivotal point in your lifetime too, where you are, there's this transition, when you're in college and to be able to have a little bit of anchoring into life's purpose. Most definitely.

Megan: 5:42

Yeah. And I know we're gonna be talking about it in the workforce, so I would just say that was kind of my foundation for mm-hmm. What a purposeful career looks like as well.

Leslie: 5:51

Yeah. Well, let's go there. So purpose in the workplace. So what does purpose look like in the workforce?

Megan: 6:00

Yeah, so I'll share that. I've, um, more about my career background really have spent a lot of my career consulting with employers and, um, organizations around purpose at work and really in the sense of workforce wellbeing. And I think that workforce wellbeing can't really be talked about in terms of the health and wellness of your employees without. First addressing the core themes of, of engagement at work and a sense of purpose when you go into work. So I think the purpose shows up at work in someone's day-to-day role and sort of the tasks that they're carrying out day to day, um, in the team that they're a part of with their manager as that point of contact to really, um. Kind of enable them to give them permission right at work to carry out their purpose. I think the manager plays a critical role in the leadership teams. Mm-hmm. And I think the organization, right? A lot of organizations wanna tie their meaning, even in maybe a tech industry or construction industry to something meaningful, like beyond themselves. Um, so I think that organizations do lay a foundation, but without the managers and the teams, carrying this out, I think that. Individual contributors or employees have maybe a tougher time navigating what their purpose is. And you know, we can take it upon ourselves to do that, but I, I think it's fascinating what an organization does to create that for their employees. Mm-hmm.

Leslie: 7:22

Yeah. So what, what I hear there, Megan, is. That purpose in the workplace, it shows up because we bring ourselves to the workplace and, and our purpose is a part of us, but then there's also organizational purpose and in some companies are seeking to have a, a purpose for the business and then, and so they're, they're creating purpose for the business and then the role of the manager is really helping to. Make, maybe it's two intersecting circles. Business purpose, personal purpose. Mm-hmm. And kinda make the connection.

Megan: 8:04

Yeah. I actually, in a presentation I love to give, uh, finding joy and purpose at work. I really talk about these three pillars, sort of like the purpose from your organization, um, the purpose from your day-to-day work, and then sort of like that outside of work in those intersections. Mm-hmm. Um, sometimes I also liken it to. Kind of the, the individual purpose day to day within your job, your team or departmental kind of purpose. And I think the manager, again, or your leaders play a critical role in that. And then sort of the larger organizational. And I, I do see that there's just such a, oftentimes there can be a disconnect, right between. Talking to employees about how their purpose shows up, and I do one-on-one purpose coaching. So sometimes I find that what one person is. Identifying as their purpose is completely, uh, misaligned, maybe with their organization or they're not really aware of what their organization, their organizational purpose might be written on the wall as a mission and vision and values, but is that really being carried out? And so I think setting goals, that's, I mean, that's one component is like in your annual reviews and your goal setting, where are these? Components coming into play, you know, when you're having these conversations one-on-one with managers and employees, like how are we intertwining someone's purpose in the workplace? And if that's not showing up, I think that's a sign that something can be done to further that. Right?

Leslie: 9:36

Yeah. Yeah. I've often found myself wondering, um, do managers ask employees what their purpose is? I know I've never been asked. And you know, I honestly, I don't know what I would do if I were asked by my manager, you know, what's your purpose? I mean, I would, I would talk about purpose project. I know.

Megan: 9:58

Mm-hmm.

Leslie: 9:59

But, you know, five years ago, I don't, um, I don't know how I would've answered that question, but to your point, it's, it is in order for purpose to live in the organization, we have to talk about it. Right. And there's, and there's different. Pillars, or did you call'em pillars? Um,

Megan: 10:18

pillars,

Leslie: 10:19

yeah. Uhhuh. Uh, I was thinking circles. Yeah. Yeah, I was thinking of a three-legged stool. Um, but yeah, there the different kinda elements, the three elements that you talked about and, for it to, to live in business, it has to be a part of our, our dialogue as well. Mm-hmm.

Megan: 10:38

Yeah. Yeah. I, I hear companies say like, purpose needs to be embedded in our DNA, and while that's kind of a term that one might use, it's like, how, how do you feel about that personally as you kind of reflect on that for your own company that you're part of and. And I think as you're saying, right, like you would mention Purpose project, the importance of finding purpose outside of work is so essential too. Right. And I do think that's becoming more and more normalized with maybe millennials and Gen Zers and those entering the workforce of we have to, you know, purpose needs to be either part of our job and or outside of our jobs. But I do see for like my parents and generations before me that it wasn't always that way. That you're just kind of, you're going to work, you're grinding away. So that you can provide for your family. And I think that mentality now has shifted probably for all generations in some way, but it is still something that we're, um, kind of up against is this mm-hmm. Like normalizing, uh, having maybe a side hustle or a passion project outside of your day-to-day job and knowing that that's, that's not a threat to the employer. I think that employers will see that oftentimes as a threat. I mean. Sure. It could be in a, in a certain scenario if someone's gonna depart their job for that reason, but really it's ultimately giving the employee a greater sense that they have autonomy over their sense of purpose and that they're able to do that outside of a day-to-day job.

Leslie: 12:02

Yeah. Yeah. When I think the other thing it gives an employer's benefit from is energy, I think of. When you're living on purpose and in your purpose, you've got this energy about you that is magnetic in some ways, and when you go to work, you bring that energy with you, which is, can hopefully be contagious in a good way.

Megan: 12:30

Yeah. Um, I absolutely agree. This is a, so I know McKinsey does some studies and they had one in 2020 recently about purpose in one's day-to-day work and employees who get purpose from work. Mm-hmm. Sort of like who is getting as much as they'd like from their job and who doesn't feel quite satisfied and. The, the results of this are astounding. I mean, just in terms of the differences between like life energy satisfaction, health measures, and then we also look at the day-to-day job and employees that are more satisfied, more committed, more engaged, excited at work are also more likely to stay, wouldn't you imagine? Right. It's like not too big of a conclusion to draw that you'll likely retain employees who feel that greater sense of energy and vitality. Day to day.

Leslie: 13:19

Absolutely. Yes. Mm-hmm. So I've got this question running through my head as I'm listening to you, and, and the question is, you shared your purpose as a part of your introduction, and I, in our conversation, I found myself wondering is our purpose. Our purpose and, and it is our purpose in work. It's our purpose out of work. Mm-hmm. Or is there like a purpose in work and a purpose out of work? Mm-hmm. What do you think? Yeah. What are my thoughts

Megan: 13:54

on that? I think there is a. I, you know what I'll say is, and I've listened recently more to Martha Beck. I know she's got a new book out and her whole finding your North Star book was really inspiring to me in my earlier years of figuring out my purpose. And she talks a lot about integrity and I think in order to have a sense of integrity, and that's like a trait we all strive for, right? To be in alignment with ourselves and with our organization. And I, I think. Talk is cheap. Sometimes the organizations will say, we're all about this, but unless you carry it out day to day, are you really living it? So, um, back to integrity, I think that a sense of integrity also comes from alignment and aligning your purpose in all aspects of your life. In the sense that, uh, while my purpose at work might. Be carried out differently, like the whole connecting people, new ideas, innovating. I do find that if that is shut down in any component of my life or in my job, that I'm not as fulfilled. So in my day-to-day job, part of my job is connecting people. As a business development, a partnerships person for a socially impacted organization or social impact driven org. And another part of that is that I wanna bring new ideas to life. I've always been someone who wants to kind of break the mold. And if I'm in a rule following organization, granted I know. I respect rules, but if I am told that you can't do that, you can't try something new, you just need to follow this process, I'm not as happy. Mm-hmm. And I do think that that shows up in my personal life as well. I do things a little bit differently than others and. I, I mean, maybe that's who I am. I'm not a big horoscope person, but I'm Aquarius, so we're a little rebellious. We're innovative. And I feel like that just kind of shows up in my work as well. And I'm told I, you know, and evaluations, I pay attention to those too, right? Like a lot of us get peer evaluations. What do people say about you and what you bring? Mm-hmm. And sometimes I don't think we can see that in ourselves as much self-awareness as we might have asking three colleagues of yours, like, what are my. Strengths, what are my skills? What do you see me doing? And when those start to align about, oh, she's a, she's an integrator, a connector, uh, she paints outside the lines, those kind of help us define for ourselves what our purpose looks like. Mm-hmm. And you can do this in personal life too. Ask three of your friends or close family members, like, what do you see me excelling at? What do you come to me for, uh, when you're in need of something? And, and I think that's revealing, you know? Yeah. In terms of what that looks like.

Leslie: 16:25

Yeah. Yeah. So our purpose is our purpose. We bring it to work with us. And if the workplace doesn't allow for us to live out aspects of our purpose, we might not be getting the most out of that employee. Is that fair to say? Exactly.

Megan: 16:42

Yeah, exactly. And I do think for ourselves, we're not getting the most out of ourselves as individuals, but yeah, absolutely. Not getting the most of your employees, when you're kind of asking them, it's almost like asking them to compartmentalize, which I, I don't know how healthy that is to like have to shut off parts of your life or who you are to show up at work well and to do your job well. And so it's kind of asking employees to like. Shove, shove that passion or purpose away and come to work and just do what we ask you to. And I think, again, that mentality needs to shift in the sense that we're whole humans and we bring our whole selves to work. And your employees aren't just robots. And you know, I've also coached athletes enough to see that like an athlete's, not just someone to perform in an event for you, just like an employee isn't just there to perform their job. They're really a whole person. And I think the more you can see that as a manager, the more. Split up your employees will be about their work and more likely to stay over time.

Leslie: 17:40

Yeah. So what are some things that you've seen or that you do or that are just ideas for how to allow for the employee to bring their whole self. And I think that there's two. There's two responsible parties, right? There's the business and then there's the employee too. Yeah. Any suggestions?

Megan: 18:06

Yeah, I, I wanna find this acronym. You might know it where there's like autonomy, relatedness, recognition. I'll find it and maybe we can quote it, but there are some different models out there, right? When we look at the research of what employees need at work. Mm-hmm. And I know that, um, recognition in the sense that what's always surprised me. Maybe not always, but um, in my job, I can speak to Kaiser Permanente. Loved my time there. I think that they really did a wonderful job, both managers I had of celebrating people in and outside of work. You know, did someone get married? Did they just run a big, I've run a lot of big races. What are they doing on their weekend time? You know, that's worth celebrating. And I think just by. Sharing that Nice. Um, in the workplace, I know people feel the need to shut that off and say, oh, my manager's not gonna care about this thing I've got going on over here, or my podcast I've got. Right. I think that by recognizing employees for what they do outside of their day-to-day job and asking them. Maybe like a, we used to do this at my old team at Kaiser as well, is like, tell me about a peach and a pit of your week. Meaning like a high and a low, right? A highlight, a low light of your week or your weekend, and employees could choose if it's about the week itself or about the month, depending on how often you meet. They could share something in work. They could share something outside of work. It could be very personal, it could be whatever they want to sort of interpret your question as. But again, I do think that just by normalizing the fact that we have a purpose in and outside of our day to day, and that it should be part of. Day-to-day job, like there should be something in your week that lights you up, right? And if, if there isn't, maybe that's an issue, maybe that's something to be resolved. But by asking that to your employees, like, what laid you up this week? What was the best part of your work week? You can really get employees to start thinking more about, yeah, what is the love it activity. I have this. Love it. Lo it meh. Kind of exercise. It's like, what is love it? What lights you up? What gives you energy? What's a loathed activity that you're just like, oh, I had to, you know, for me it's typing into spreadsheets like, oh, I really did not enjoy that. I don't like having to go back into Salesforce and log all these things. That wasn't very fun. And what's like just a meh activity that you could maybe put in a podcast headphones and get it done, but. You know, spending more of your time on those love activities and then asking yourself as like a manager or leader or even as a teammate, like, is there something that the people around you do better than you that mm-hmm. You would wanna hand to them? And is there something that you could take off their plate? Um, I know in the sales, not to go too into sales and partnerships, but what lights me up a lot is cold outreach. Not a lot of people like making cold calls. I got the cold call queen title. At my job recently, and I just, I love that that lights me up to like start new conversations. You're a connector. Yeah, I'm a connector. However, I'm maybe not like, I have more work to do on like, really hard conversations in terms of negotiating and closing deals is like, it does get harder when there's so many, um, internal challenges that get in the way of. Moving a customer forward. So I do know people that are great about that though. They're like, oh, conflict, let me just step right into that room and close the deal. So again, by like really highlighting what your team excels at. What different employees are good at. You're also bringing out the best in each other. Yeah.

Leslie: 21:31

Well and that exercise of love it lo it. And what was the, the third the, it was math, you know, kinda a Okay. That's what I thought it was, but I didn't know if it had an l name. Uhhuh. Um, that, that exercise as a team also allows you to really. Understand how you could pull people in, you know, and activate their love it o over time because,'cause you're seeing it each week and in terms of what they like and so, oh, you like conflict? Let me pull you in.

Megan: 22:05

Exactly. Yeah. Or consult you. Right. And, and I think that does allow us, it, it also allows us to build our careers better. I mean, again, we're talking about purpose at work, but you know, what are employees really good at? And I think by like 10 Xing on those things that you really do excel at, right? You're spending your time and energy better than everyone being average at everything. Like if you're trying to develop every employee to the same level on all these skill sets, you're just not. You're overlooking an important quality, which is like what people excel at. Um, one thing I wanted to mention too is this, I know we talked about the book out there, the six types of, uh, working Genius by Uhhuh, Patrick Lencioni. I like that one. That's just one example of a book that can be a great resource for teams and organizations to really hone in on like. What types of magic or strength do people bring to your organization? And I know StrengthsFinder has been popular too, and, um, there are so many strengths out there. I think there are 30 plus out there, but with the six types of working genius, you can really identify what those skill sets are that you're really, um, really great at, and hire your team accordingly, or look at your teams accordingly.

Leslie: 23:18

Mm-hmm. Yeah. The other thing, the other suggestion you shared was about asking people or celebrating or recognizing the things that are going on in people's lives outside of work. And as you were talking about that, I found myself. Feeling how it can humanize the work, right? Because we are more than what we bring into work, and there are things that are. Uh, more important to us than work and allowing that to be and bringing it into the workplace. It, in a way I could see how it could create some psychological safety for people to bring their selves mm-hmm. Into the workplace.

Megan: 24:09

Absolutely. Yeah. I think you just brought up an excellent point. Psychological safety is a huge part of, uh, great leadership and of. Just doing, I think it's just a, an imperative really for mm-hmm. Organizations to create psychological safety and that just cannot be done without acknowledging lives outside of work. And the fact that it's safe to bring those components into your role.

Leslie: 24:34

Absolutely. Yeah. So we talked a little bit about. How as a leader or a company, we can create an environment, but what about for the individual?

Megan: 24:45

I think it starts with really getting to know yourself on a deeper level, asking yourself questions. I think it can be scary sometimes. We can have resistance to this because maybe we don't want to admit to ourselves that we've not been, like, once you're aware of this, you can't really ignore it. So it's, it's a blessing and a curse I feel for myself sometimes. I'm always asking like, what lit me up about this week? What was the best part of it? Um, and it, it's, it's hard to just put your head down, go to work and ignore if you're not feeling lit up. So it does require us, I think, to go deeper for ourselves and what, what gives me purpose personally? What lit me up when I was a kid? What common themes do I see in my life, um, as an individual and maybe start without the work? And then you kind of. Put in. Okay, now, now I've got my individual purpose lit up. Oh, I like to create pottery on the weekends. Or I like to play guitar. I like to go rock climb. Like what are your kind of hobbies, interests? And maybe you don't have many, and maybe that's something assigned to you to like think about if I had a few hobbies or interests, what would those be? Mm-hmm. And then. Go a layer deeper into the workplace and, um, getting real about the Love it. Love it. Meh. Or like it, I guess you could say, activity where you go through your week and I would actually challenge everyone to do this. Like go through your day, go through your week. I. In a typical work week, what was it that lit you up the most And like really honing in on those specific pieces. We don't wanna spend too much time on the Met or the loathed activities, but like putting your focus and energy on Love it. And how can I do more of that? And again, if you're coming up short, then I challenge you to think about how you might be able to bring. Any sort of skill sets you have in your, uh, day-to-day life? Like for me, I like to build community in the running community. How can I bring community into my work? Right? How could I build community? Could I lead a, you know, a community of belonging? They call them at my organization. Like, could I start a community of belonging? Right? Could someone do that? And get just as much, if not more fulfillment outta that component than their day-to-day work. And it's not taking over, right? But it could be five, 10, 20% of your work time gets to now be spent on this new activity that you really enjoy and also bring value to your organization. So,

Leslie: 27:04

right. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So getting really clear on who you are, what lights you up. Looking for a way to bring that into the workforce, um, and in some capacity, in your example, uh, creating a long, a belongingness group mm-hmm. Is that what it was? A belonging community.

Megan: 27:25

Community of belonging. Community of belonging

Leslie: 27:28

or an ERG. Okay. Um, an employee resource group of community of belonging. Mm-hmm. And so let's say, let's take that as an example. Someone like you likes to connect people and says, okay, can I create this at work? What advice do you have to the people that are going to approve these types of, uh, to the manager? Uh, what's your advice to the manager?

Megan: 27:54

I think this goes into also like utilizing, for instance, professional development funds, right? You're kind of thinking about, okay, I wanna make the case to my employer or my manager to get this, um, you know, course certification, community of belonging approved one. I would see, or those already existing, right? Like obviously you're. Wow. Such a trailblazer. If they don't even exist, if there are no employee resource groups, I think it starts with making the case for why those should exist. Mm-hmm. And what you're gonna be bringing to the table. Um, I know like AI can be a tool for this too, to maybe bring to light some. Some things you wouldn't have thought of. But I would also say, um, knowing what it does impact, like how it impacts the bottom line of the organization, how is this going to enhance belonging? A sense of belonging? How is it gonna bring people together in a way that does not take away from their work, but only enhances who they are in the workplace? And, um, I don't have it on hand, but I'm sure that, you know, employee resource groups, communities of belonging, there's probably studies and research out there that does show. Employees who take part in these things can find a greater sense of fulfillment in the workplace. Mm-hmm. And I can say from my own experience, I've seen this at organizations where you think you might, I might be the only person you know that, um, moved here from say, a different country. Right. Like an international, uh, employee. Or I might be the only person who. Well, okay, if we do as a dog, right?'cause there's an employee resource group for a dog, but maybe you just wanna meet other people who also share a similar passion or p pursuit. Right? I mean, uh, I'll also say I, you know, I think at one point we, we may have one for folks with disabilities. Um, you know, you don't always know that. And in, in a remote workforce, like I could be in a wheelchair here and you wouldn't know. But I might want a sense of, I'd love to talk to somebody else at my organization who also is right. You know, experiencing, um, this challenge in their own life. And, and so I think that again, by creating those, there's ones for parents, right? New parents out there, support groups. By doing that in the workplace, you're really just improving.'cause would you rather have your employee go and find a parent resource group that's outside of the workplace, right. Or would you rather them find that within? Yeah. And, uh, Gallup's research about all of the. People who have a best friend at work are more likely to stay at work. It's pretty imperative too, that your employees feel they have somebody at work that they could go to. It doesn't need to be their best friend in the world, but hopefully it's a, a best friend that you just someone you can confide in Right. And relate to.

Leslie: 30:31

Yeah, absolutely. Yes. Yeah. Um, any downfall in purpose in the workplace?

Megan: 30:41

I, uh, I think your employees will just be happier, more energized than ever. So I don't, I, I am imagining a workplace that experiences a downfall from that, and I'm just smiling because I don't really see there being a downside. Mm-hmm. Um, you know, I, again, I think employers who ultimately feel a threat by, I think that's maybe one of the things is that some employers feel. Like, oh, if my employees all find their purpose, they're gonna leave their job. You know? I don't think that's true. I think that just means they're gonna show up at work better, and maybe they'll switch jobs within your company. I think that's another possibility is that by creating a greater sense of like, what is, what is this employee really good at? You can. Maybe find them a better role, maybe they find a better fit within your organization. Um, but by not having those conversations, your employees are gonna go elsewhere. They're gonna look at the alternative, which is, I don't feel it in my job. I'm gonna leave my job for a new, yeah, a new role ultimately. And so, um, the more you can create opportunities for employees to feel that in their existing role or in their existing organization, the better, uh, you're gonna be to retain employees

Leslie: 31:53

as well. Yeah. Yeah. So, does this employees bringing their purpose to work, employers enabling that, does that work for all employees? And I'll share with you the thing underneath this question is I've heard people. Make excuses for employees that are more right-brained, like your engineers, your accountants, they don't do purpose. And, before I share my thoughts on that, what do you think?

Megan: 32:29

Uh, it's pretty interesting, you know, I, I think it's hard for me to relate as someone who can't really see past the ability to. To, uh, prioritize purpose. Like I, I can't imagine myself in a job where I just put my head down and go to work on this one thing. I think those people might be better or have a skill for sort of compartmentalization, but there's also something that they do that brings them joy. I have a lot of friends that are in the scientific field, and while it doesn't really light me up to do lab chemical experiments, I mean, it really doesn't on my day-to-day job. That's why I'm not a chemist. I have friends that are in those fields that just are. Fascinated by some of the outcomes that can happen from some of the engineering work or, um, chemistry type experiments that they're running on a day-to-day basis. So I think it just shows up differently, really.

Leslie: 33:20

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what I believe too. I, I agree. I think we all have things that light us up and, and we all have things that we feel like we are meant to be doing in this world. And. That applies to everyone. Yeah.

Megan: 33:37

Yeah. I think we naturally gravitate towards those. And I would say that if an employee is feeling high levels of satisfaction from their work and enjoyment and engagement in their job, they are essentially living out their purpose. To me, a lack of purpose screams like, uh, higher levels of dissatisfaction, discontent, disengagement. And so I, I do see that those two align for people that are in those fields and committed to them and lit up about them.

Leslie: 34:04

Yeah. Anything else to say about purpose in the workplace?

Megan: 34:10

You know, overall I would say. Purpose in the workplace really starts with, the organization, making this a priority. And, um, I think with the individuals, we can all take stock of where we feel lit up in our day-to-day jobs and outside of our jobs. I think that purpose in the workplace, again, it's an imperative for, especially as we go into sort of this next decade or and embracing this for the next generations, it's just gonna become more and more important that we. Embrace that as organizations, as leaders and as employees.

Leslie: 34:44

Yeah. Yeah, that's a important perspective it's not going away for sure. It's just gonna continue to get more and more, embedded in people's lives,

Megan: 34:53

absolutely. Yeah. And I think more and more people do look to their jobs maybe for this I I do sense, like a shift in, we look at purpose and we think maybe religion or spirituality or families and, and while those are all maybe important components to someone's life, like I do see just a shift in the way we're thinking about it and, and the fact that a lot of people are looking for this in the workplace too.

Leslie: 35:16

Yeah, absolutely. Megan, thank you for coming on purpose project with us. I've really enjoyed our conversation and I'm even more, convinced now than ever that purpose belongs in the workplace. And it's, about, both parties, the company and the individual, creating space for them. Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Leslie. It was a joy. At the time when this episode releases, I have been watching my oldest daughter prepare to enter the corporate workforce. As I sat in the audience of her college graduation surrounded by thousands of college graduates, I couldn't help but think about what Megan talks about, how the future of work must include purpose. If our workplaces embrace purpose, not just as a concept, but as a practice, we have an opportunity to create environments where these emerging professionals can thrive. Purpose-driven workplaces is what the future workforce will expect of their employers. Megan, thank you for sharing your insights and for being a beacon of purpose and both your personal and professional life. And thanks to all of you for tuning in. Purpose Project is brought to you for education and for entertainment purposes. This podcast is not intended to replace the advice that you would receive from a licensed therapist or doctor or any other qualified professional.