Strategy #14: Give people a worthy challenge

Habitat for Humanity is famous for recruiting volunteers to help build houses for the needy. All over the world, people are donating their time to pound nails and haul wood who would never even think of doing the same work for construction company without being paid. Why do they do it? Because they see building that house as a worthy challenge for a worthwhile cause. The most successful organizations are those which have an important mission, a mission that people can connect with at an emotional and spiritual level.

The mission of Southwest Airlines isn’t just flying airplanes; it’s also making it possible for people who otherwise couldn’t afford to fly be able to attend weddings, funerals, and graduation ceremonies.

During its critical start-up period, MCI wasn’t just trying to sell telephones; it was working to break the AT&T phone monopoly that had strangled innovation and imposed artificially high prices on phone customers everywhere.

In its early days, Apple Computer wasn’t just selling personal computers; it was changing the way we work and the way we learn. Do you remember the line Steve Jobs used to convince John Sculley to leave Pepsi and join Apple? “Do you want to sell sugar water to kids, or do you want to change the world?”

People don’t get “burned-out” when they have a worthy challenge; they get burned-out when their work is boring. Frankly, many organizational mission statements are (from the perspective of employees) boring. I haven’t met very many people who can honestly say that they get up every morning with a burning desire to satisfy customers or make more money for boss and the shareholders. It is the genius of leadership that helps people find a deeper sense of personal meaning and purpose in the activities that help the organization satisfy customers.

West Central is one of the nation’s most progressive agricultural cooperatives, and the world’s largest producer of environmentally-friendly biodiesel fuel. When I challenged a group there to come up with a purpose statement that would motivate me to get out of bed on a cold night so that I could help load a grain train, one person came up with this: We power the world with food and fuel.

That is brilliant!!  What are two of the most pressing problems in the world today? Hunger and energy!!  I’m not just loading a grain train – I’m helping to feed the hungry and keep our economy humming along with power.

Whatever the mission statement that’s hanging on the wall of your organization happens to say, think of an overarching purpose statement that will inspire your people to get out of bed on those cold days and come to work fired-up (not burned-out).  Better yet, ask individuals (or departments as a group exercise) to tell you what they think that purpose statement should be.

“The best-kept secret in America today is that people would rather work hard for something they believe in than enjoy a pampered idleness.”

John W. Gardner: Excellence

Interlude: A reflection on the work ethic of the younger generation

You often hear people complain about the work ethic (or lack thereof) and the self-centeredness of the younger generation. That lament has been going on for thousands of years (hieroglyphs discovered in the Egyptian pyramids bemoan the laziness of children). The truth is much more complicated. Guess who is the single-largest recruiter of graduating college seniors in America, including many top-of-class graduates from some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges. It’s the nonprofit organization Teach for America.

The brainchild of Wendy Kopp, Teach for America sends recent college grads into socioeconomically disadvantaged school districts to be teachers. These young people make a two-year commitment and typically work 80-90 hours a week (and are not always welcomed with open arms by the other teachers). They make a whole lot less money than the salaries they could command on Wall Street or in Corporate America. They’ve been inspired by Kopp’s vision of sharing their knowledge and their enthusiasm with children, and in the process resparking a commitment to excellence in the educational system. So the right question is not what’s wrong with the younger generation – it’s what can you do to tap into what’s right with the younger generation.

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