Purposeful work is at the top of my list.   For me, it’s an office-wide initiative that allows the people who work with me to identify and develop their interests and strengths.  I encourage our staff to pursue knowledge, experiences and the relationships necessary to chase their aspirations with imagination and integrity.  I’ve seen how this can create an office culture where people are truly happy in their position.  It also keeps everybody inspired and productive with their eye on the vision.  The following are some of the things I do to foster purposeful work in our office:

Professional development allowance:  Each member of our team is given a yearly allowance to pursue professional development opportunities that help them with their job.  I encourage people to get out of their comfort zone so they not only become more capable, competent and confident in their job, but that they also experience that growth on a more personal level.  Recently our Director of Health Care Staffing and our Lead Recruiter both joined Toastmasters.  We all know how daunting public speaking can be so I was very excited to see the choice they made.

Thoroughly defined job descriptions:  I depend on well-written job descriptions to work as a communication tool so that each person in our office understands the expectation of their role and the essential duties required within it.  Job descriptions also help the rest of the team understand who is responsible for each and every task.  Each job description is more of a ‘living-document’ where tasks can be added, or removed, to better suit each person in their respective position.  I feel like this works to motivate as well as retain employees,  as each person is in a positon that is close to a perfect fit for them.

If something can be automated we work to automate it:  By eliminating mundane or monotonous tasks, our staff can focus on the things that allow them to feel like they can get through their to-do lists, which in turn leads to a natural momentum in my businesses.  Each position in our company is very important and we are focused on finding and implementing technology that can support each role.  By doing this our team members can focus on the tasks that add value to their day and to our office.

Listen and learn from the people who work in those positions:  We meet often.  The feedback from the people in our office is valuable.  We encourage a culture of idea sharing and forward thinking and when somebody comes up with a great idea we implement it immediately, which creates more great ideas!

Don’t spend too much time on the mistakes:  We live by the belief that mistakes bring us one step closer to what not to do.  I encourage our team to try new things.  They know that I would rather them make a mistake by trying something that they believe will bring us closer to our goals than not trying anything at all.   Mistakes, errors, mishaps….they are our friends and give us valuable experiences that make us a better business and a more connected team in the end.

I believe that when work is purposeful it opens up the doors to a stronger team, tons of creativity and a clearer picture of what we’re trying to accomplish. When work is purposeful there is a magic that happens that is noticeable to our team, our allies, our competitors, our community and most importantly, our customers!