22 Keys to Creating a Meaningful Workplace -- Part 6
The Me Keys
| Self-Identity |
| Fit |
| Balance |
| Worth |
Self-Identity
So many workplaces put pressure on people to be the same and to do what has always been done.
Thriving people feel a genuine freedom to be themselves.
Self-identity isn't simply allowed; it is valued.
What makes you unique:
| What unique knowledge do you bring to the workplace? |
| What special skills do you bring to the workplace? |
| How does your experience make you uniquely qualified? |
| How is your style different? |
| What deeply interests you? |
Look at everything you've put to paper (your know-how, skills, experience, style, interests) and pose the "so what" question.
Spend time building relationships and learning about the strengths that other people bring to the workplace.
Get the lay of the land before rushing ahead and taking action.
How are you going to get people to buy what they need and want? Four basic strategies:
| Direct See a need and unleash know-how and skills |
| Invitational Mention it and briefly explain how it might help |
| One on one You might find more success working directly with individuals |
| Guerilla style Sometimes you'll want to pounce. Other times it'll pay to do some intelligence work. When you achieve something big, leverage it. |
By creating an environment where self-identity can freely emerge, we'l get more opportunities to use our own unique strengths.
Seldom is there an open, constructive exchange among colleagues.
Get a group together - perhaps five or so folks from your immediate work area.
Fit
Fit is a personal proposition.
The different shapes and sizes fit:
| System fit- People think of fit in an operational context. They want to see where they fit into the larger picture. |
| Mission fit- Think of fit in terms of mission (how they're helping to create the future). |
| Values fit- Values go hand in hand with an organization's collective values. |
Sketch out your work process from start to finish, showing what happens at each step.
Mark the locations in the process where each of you does your work.
In a meaningful workplace, people share a belief that their work is about more than just work.
One's own values are often at odds with the organization's newly emerging way of doing things. The result is a feeling of unease.
One meaning states that value is worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor.
The other definition describes it as a principle, standard, or quality regarded as worthwhile or desirable.
Many organizations have developed their won sets of "core values," just as many have committed to paper their mission statements and vision statements.
Core values can make a difference -- but only if people commit to the values in their hearts and minds first, and then on paper.
Balance
While "fit" is where the individual and the organization come together, balance goes one step further. It's where our work lives come together with the rest of our lives.
In a meaningful workplace, there's a deep appreciation for balance. Balance means different things to different people.
Your thoughts of home don't end when we get to work, and we certainly bring work concerns back home.
It's imperative to make balance an ongoing topic for dialogue among your colleagues.
Balance is an activity more than it is a static condition.
Are you setting a workplace standard that other people are struggling to meet?
Don't promote your long hours as the workplace daily requirement.
Organizations let people take their work home with them, so why not let people bring some of their home to work?
Learn how to say no without really saying no.
Learn how to say no -- period. Finish projects before starting new ones.
Worth
Nothing is more personal --or important-than an individuals sense of worth.
A person's sense of worth heavily depends on the presence of certain keys. Here are the ones that have the biggest impact:
| Purpose, Validation (Mission Keys) |
| Respect, Equality, Ownership (People Keys) |
| Challenge, Invention, Personal Development (Development Keys) |
| Dialogue, Service, Acknowledgement, Oneness (Community Keys) |
| Self-Identity (Me Keys) |
Any effort to increase a sense of worth calls for a deeper understanding of these other meaning keya.
People will learn what you can contribute only if you tell them or if they see you take action.
Try to extend your service reach to even more people.
Make a point of tracking your accomplishments.
A lot of the keys that feed into worth are of the reciprocal variety.