One of the reasons that so many people find it difficult to find meaning in their work today is because they identify with this job title that they have as being their identity.
They think that, you know, I am a receptionist. I am a front desk worker. I am a waitress, whatever it is. And when all you are in the way that you think about it that way is this job title, it doesn’t feel like there’s a lot of fulfillment in that. Being a waitress doesn’t necessarily fulfill. However, when you consider your job to be the goal or the result that you’re trying to create for the customer that you’re serving or the person that you’re working with, now we start to get a little bit more meaningful.
So, think about it this way, if you’ve got a team full of people who are disconnected from the meaning that their work has, let’s use the example of a front desk worker and at a hotel, and they’re like, I’m just a front desk worker. Then talk to them about the key result that their work helps contribute to.
So, their job is to help us increase customer loyalty at this hotel, and they can do that by creating a great first impression, by offering wonderful customer service, being a smiling face, so that when they identify who they are, what they do, they’re not saying,
“I’m just a front desk worker.” They’re saying, “My job is to increase customer loyalty.” Now there’s purpose in that work, and that allows people to take more accountability.