May 20, 2025 • 36 mins
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:
Instagram: @purpose.project
LinkedIn: @purposeproject-media
TikTok: @purpose.project
Captions are auto-generated.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Leslie (00:04):
Hi everyone.
My name is Leslie Pagel and thisis Purpose Project.
In this episode, I sit down withMegan Flanagan to talk about how
purpose shows up in theworkplace.
Megan has been exploring purposesince her college days, and she
is someone that prioritizespurpose both.
(00:26):
In her personal and herprofessional life.
In this episode, we discuss howpurpose is not a fleeting trend,
it is the future of work.
Let's take a listen.
Megan, thank you for joiningPurpose Project.
I am really looking forward toour conversation about purpose
in the workplace.
Megan (00:47):
Leslie, thank you for having me.
Really excited to be here todayand chat with you all about
purpose.
One of my favorite topics,
Leslie (00:53):
mine as well.
Well, before we get into the,the depths of purpose in the
workplace, tell us a little bitabout yourself.
Both from a personal andprofessional perspective.
Megan (01:07):
I would describe myself as someone who's a bit of a
go-getter.
I'm very passionate around thetopic of purpose itself and
really how that intersects withour careers and with our lives.
And I think about that a lot inmy own life.
I, I dig pretty deep into whatmy life purpose is, how that
carries out in the work that Ido day to day, and.
(01:29):
Really how it shows up in mycommunity and with the
connections around me.
So I think about purpose indifferent layers, and I would
also say I kind of identify assomeone who has a strong life
purpose, wants to bring it tolife, and is constantly in, uh,
pursuit of that.
Leslie (01:46):
Well, since you went there, everyone on the show gets
asked what their life purposeis.
What is, so what is yours?
Megan (01:54):
I would say my life purpose is to connect others, to
bring new ideas to life, onesthat are impactful and to really
help inspire others to reachtheir full potential.
Leslie (02:04):
Nice.
Megan (02:05):
And I do think there's value in getting specific around
your purpose, but also keepingit broad enough that you.
Have an openness or can, cannavigate life's changes.
I think if your purpose is sospecific to one role or one
chapter of life that you're in,you're maybe not opening
yourself to the fact thatpurpose can be broad and it can
(02:25):
also intertwine and, um, changethroughout the course of one's
lifetime.
Leslie (02:30):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I, that has definitely been atheme that I've picked up on is
how purpose.
Can and does evolve throughoutour lives.
And so being, keeping it kind ofbroad and open allows for some
of that flexibility.
Most definitely.
Yeah.
(02:50):
Anything else about yourself toshare?
Megan (02:54):
Yeah, I guess, um, trying to think of what makes me sort
of unique in the line ofpurpose.
Um, one of the ways peopleprobably don't know this, just
from looking at my LinkedInprofile or learning about me,
that I really.
Intersect with my purpose isthrough running.
So that is a big part of my lifeand what I do.
And I, I think that by running,it's not only for the pursuit of
(03:16):
my own, uh, potential, but alsothe ability to bring people
together.
So I'm hosting a women's runningretreat this year.
I have a, an organization forthe sport of.
Bringing, women and runningtogether.
And I would say that kind ofhelps, um, feed some of maybe
what I don't get in myday-to-day work or my job.
(03:36):
Uh, because my job is morebusiness focused and customer
facing.
Um, the nature of the work isn'tsuch that I'm out to be on the
trail all day.
So I really love, um, being outin the mountains and, and live
in Colorado and I'm able to doand carry out some of my purpose
in.
Maybe in, in a different contextthan mm-hmm.
(03:56):
Just the day-to-day work that Ido.
Leslie (03:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I've seen people where they liveout their purpose through their
passion.
It's, it's how they enact their,their purpose.
And it sounds like you loverunning and it's a, it's a
vehicle that allows you tofacilitate connection.
Megan (04:15):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And I, I don't know where thiswill come into play in our
conversation, but when I wasreflecting back on getting clear
with my own purpose and theimportance in our work, uh, I
know we'll be talking today,professional purpose.
Mm-hmm.
I look back on my college yearsand actually during my
undergraduate degree, there wasa class at University of
Minnesota.
(04:35):
I looked it up.
It's still there.
So if you go there or you, youknow, you're in college now, I
recommend it.
It's through the Center forSpirituality and Healing, and
it's just one semester and it'scalled Living on Purpose, like
an exploration of yourself, yourpurpose, and your community.
And I just wish every collegestudent took a course like that
because it was so instrumentalfor myself to really think.
(04:58):
You know what, this is pivotal.
This is important that I thinkabout this now and I, I know
many people look back on theirlives wishing they'd made
purpose more of a priority, um,in their work or in their line
of work that they choose to gointo.
And I think it really not onlylit me up personally, but also
had me thinking how do I carrythis out in the courses that I'm
(05:19):
taking and the work that I'll bedoing?
So, yeah.
Leslie (05:22):
Yeah, that is super cool.
To have had that at.
At a pivotal point in yourlifetime too, where you are,
there's this transition, whenyou're in college and to be able
to have a little bit ofanchoring into life's purpose.
Most definitely.
Megan (05:42):
Yeah.
And I know we're gonna betalking about it in the
workforce, so I would just saythat was kind of my foundation
for mm-hmm.
What a purposeful career lookslike as well.
Leslie (05:51):
Yeah.
Well, let's go there.
So purpose in the workplace.
So what does purpose look likein the workforce?
Megan (06:00):
Yeah, so I'll share that.
I've, um, more about my careerbackground really have spent a
lot of my career consulting withemployers and, um, organizations
around purpose at work andreally in the sense of workforce
wellbeing.
And I think that workforcewellbeing can't really be talked
about in terms of the health andwellness of your employees
without.
First addressing the core themesof, of engagement at work and a
(06:25):
sense of purpose when you gointo work.
So I think the purpose shows upat work in someone's day-to-day
role and sort of the tasks thatthey're carrying out day to day,
um, in the team that they're apart of with their manager as
that point of contact to really,um.
Kind of enable them to give thempermission right at work to
carry out their purpose.
I think the manager plays acritical role in the leadership
(06:47):
teams.
Mm-hmm.
And I think the organization,right?
A lot of organizations wanna tietheir meaning, even in maybe a
tech industry or constructionindustry to something
meaningful, like beyondthemselves.
Um, so I think thatorganizations do lay a
foundation, but without themanagers and the teams, carrying
this out, I think that.
Individual contributors oremployees have maybe a tougher
(07:11):
time navigating what theirpurpose is.
And you know, we can take itupon ourselves to do that, but
I, I think it's fascinating whatan organization does to create
that for their employees.
Mm-hmm.
Leslie (07:22):
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 alsoorganizational purpose and in
some companies are seeking tohave a, a purpose for the
(07:46):
business and then, and sothey're, they're creating
purpose for the business andthen the role of the manager is
really helping to.
Make, maybe it's twointersecting circles.
Business purpose, personalpurpose.
Mm-hmm.
And kinda make the connection.
Megan (08:04):
Yeah.
I actually, in a presentation Ilove to give, uh, finding joy
and purpose at work.
I really talk about these threepillars, sort of like the
purpose from your organization,um, the purpose from your
day-to-day work, and then sortof like that outside of work in
those intersections.
Mm-hmm.
Um, sometimes I also liken itto.
(08:25):
Kind of the, the individualpurpose day to day within your
job, your team or departmentalkind of purpose.
And I think the manager, again,or your leaders play a critical
role in that.
And then sort of the largerorganizational.
And I, I do see that there'sjust such a, oftentimes there
can be a disconnect, rightbetween.
(08:46):
Talking to employees about howtheir purpose shows up, and I do
one-on-one purpose coaching.
So sometimes I find that whatone person is.
Identifying as their purpose iscompletely, uh, misaligned,
maybe with their organization orthey're not really aware of what
their organization, theirorganizational purpose might be
(09:07):
written on the wall as a missionand 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 annualreviews and your goal setting,
where are these?
Components coming into play, youknow, when you're having these
conversations one-on-one withmanagers and employees, like how
(09:28):
are we intertwining someone'spurpose in the workplace?
And if that's not showing up, Ithink that's a sign that
something can be done to furtherthat.
Right?
Leslie (09:36):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I've often found myselfwondering, um, do managers ask
employees what their purpose is?
I know I've never been asked.
And you know, I honestly, Idon't know what I would do if I
were asked by my manager, youknow, what's your purpose?
I mean, I would, I would talkabout purpose project.
(09:57):
I know.
Megan (09:58):
Mm-hmm.
Leslie (09:59):
But, you know, five years ago, I don't, um, I don't
know how I would've answeredthat question, but to your
point, it's, it is in order forpurpose to live in the
organization, we have to talkabout it.
Right.
And there's, and there'sdifferent.
Pillars, or did you call'empillars?
Um,
Megan (10:18):
pillars,
Leslie (10:19):
yeah.
Uhhuh.
Uh, I was thinking circles.
Yeah.
Yeah, I was thinking of athree-legged stool.
Um, but yeah, there thedifferent kinda elements, the
three elements that you talkedabout and, for it to, to live in
business, it has to be a part ofour, 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 kindof a term that one might use,
it's like, how, how do you feelabout that personally as you
kind of reflect on that for yourown company that you're part of
and.
And I think as you're saying,right, like you would mention
Purpose project, the importanceof finding purpose outside of
(10:59):
work is so essential too.
Right.
And I do think that's becomingmore and more normalized with
maybe millennials and Gen Zersand those entering the workforce
of we have to, you know, purposeneeds to be either part of our
job and or outside of our jobs.
But I do see for like my parentsand generations before me that
it wasn't always that way.
That you're just kind of, you'regoing to work, you're grinding
(11:20):
away.
So that you can provide for yourfamily.
And I think that mentality nowhas shifted probably for all
generations in some way, but itis still something that we're,
um, kind of up against is thismm-hmm.
Like normalizing, uh, havingmaybe a side hustle or a passion
project outside of yourday-to-day job and knowing that
(11:40):
that's, that's not a threat tothe employer.
I think that employers will seethat oftentimes as a threat.
I mean.
Sure.
It could be in a, in a certainscenario if someone's gonna
depart their job for thatreason, but really it's
ultimately giving the employee agreater sense that they have
autonomy over their sense ofpurpose and that they're able to
do that outside of a day-to-dayjob.
Leslie (12:02):
Yeah.
Yeah.
When I think the other thing itgives an employer's benefit from
is energy, I think of.
When you're living on purposeand in your purpose, you've got
this energy about you that ismagnetic in some ways, and when
you go to work, you bring thatenergy with you, which is, can
(12:26):
hopefully be contagious in agood way.
Megan (12:30):
Yeah.
Um, I absolutely agree.
This is a, so I know McKinseydoes some studies and they had
one in 2020 recently aboutpurpose in one's day-to-day work
and employees who get purposefrom work.
Mm-hmm.
Sort of like who is getting asmuch as they'd like from their
job and who doesn't feel quitesatisfied and.
(12:52):
The, the results of this areastounding.
I mean, just in terms of thedifferences between like life
energy satisfaction, healthmeasures, and then we also look
at the day-to-day job andemployees that are more
satisfied, more committed, moreengaged, excited at work are
also more likely to stay,wouldn't you imagine?
Right.
It's like not too big of aconclusion to draw that you'll
(13:14):
likely retain employees who feelthat greater sense of energy and
vitality.
Day to day.
Leslie (13:19):
Absolutely.
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
So I've got this questionrunning through my head as I'm
listening to you, and, and thequestion is, you shared your
purpose as a part of yourintroduction, and I, in our
conversation, I found myselfwondering is our purpose.
(13:41):
Our purpose and, and it is ourpurpose in work.
It's our purpose out of work.
Mm-hmm.
Or is there like a purpose inwork 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 outand her whole finding your North
Star book was really inspiringto me in my earlier years of
figuring out my purpose.
And she talks a lot aboutintegrity and I think in order
to have a sense of integrity,and that's like a trait we all
(14:16):
strive for, right?
To be in alignment withourselves and with our
organization.
And I, I think.
Talk is cheap.
Sometimes the organizations willsay, we're all about this, but
unless you carry it out day today, are you really living it?
So, um, back to integrity, Ithink that a sense of integrity
also comes from alignment andaligning your purpose in all
aspects of your life.
(14:36):
In the sense that, uh, while mypurpose at work might.
Be carried out differently, likethe whole connecting people, new
ideas, innovating.
I do find that if that is shutdown in any component of my life
or in my job, that I'm not asfulfilled.
So in my day-to-day job, part ofmy job is connecting people.
(14:59):
As a business development, apartnerships person for a
socially impacted organizationor social impact driven org.
And another part of that is thatI wanna bring new ideas to life.
I've always been someone whowants to kind of break the mold.
And if I'm in a rule followingorganization, granted I know.
I respect rules, but if I amtold that you can't do that, you
can't try something new, youjust need to follow this
(15:22):
process, I'm not as happy.
Mm-hmm.
And I do think that that showsup in my personal life as well.
I do things a little bitdifferently than others and.
I, I mean, maybe that's who Iam.
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 kindof shows up in my work as well.
And I'm told I, you know, andevaluations, I pay attention to
(15:42):
those too, right?
Like a lot of us get peerevaluations.
What do people say about you andwhat you bring?
Mm-hmm.
And sometimes I don't think wecan see that in ourselves as
much self-awareness as we mighthave 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 alignabout, oh, she's a, she's an
(16:04):
integrator, a connector, uh, shepaints outside the lines, those
kind of help us define forourselves what our purpose looks
like.
Mm-hmm.
And you can do this in personallife too.
Ask three of your friends orclose 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'srevealing, you know?
Yeah.
In terms of what that lookslike.
Leslie (16:25):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So our purpose is our purpose.
We bring it to work with us.
And if the workplace doesn'tallow for us to live out aspects
of our purpose, we might not begetting 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, butyeah, absolutely.
Not getting the most of youremployees, when you're kind of
asking them, it's almost likeasking them to compartmentalize,
which I, I don't know howhealthy that is to like have to
shut off parts of your life orwho you are to show up at work
(17:02):
well and to do your job well.
And so it's kind of askingemployees to like.
Shove, shove that passion orpurpose away and come to work
and just do what we ask you to.
And I think, again, thatmentality needs to shift in the
sense that we're whole humansand we bring our whole selves to
work.
And your employees aren't justrobots.
And you know, I've also coachedathletes enough to see that like
(17:23):
an athlete's, not just someoneto perform in an event for you,
just like an employee isn't justthere to perform their job.
They're really a whole person.
And I think the more you can seethat as a manager, the more.
Split up your employees will beabout their work and more likely
to stay over time.
Leslie (17:40):
Yeah.
So what are some things thatyou've seen or that you do or
that are just ideas for how toallow 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 thenthere's the employee too.
(18:03):
Yeah.
Any suggestions?
Megan (18:06):
Yeah, I, I wanna find this acronym.
You might know it where there'slike autonomy, relatedness,
recognition.
I'll find it and maybe we canquote it, but there are some
different models out there,right?
When we look at the research ofwhat employees need at work.
Mm-hmm.
And I know that, um, recognitionin the sense that what's always
surprised me.
(18:26):
Maybe not always, but um, in myjob, I can speak to Kaiser
Permanente.
Loved my time there.
I think that they really did awonderful job, both managers I
had of celebrating people in andoutside of work.
You know, did someone getmarried?
Did they just run a big, I'verun a lot of big races.
What are they doing on theirweekend time?
You know, that's worthcelebrating.
And I think just by.
(18:47):
Sharing that Nice.
Um, in the workplace, I knowpeople feel the need to shut
that off and say, oh, mymanager's not gonna care about
this thing I've got going onover here, or my podcast I've
got.
Right.
I think that by recognizingemployees for what they do
outside of their day-to-day joband asking them.
Maybe like a, we used to do thisat my old team at Kaiser as
(19:08):
well, is like, tell me about apeach and a pit of your week.
Meaning like a high and a low,right?
A highlight, a low light of yourweek or your weekend, and
employees could choose if it'sabout the week itself or about
the month, depending on howoften you meet.
They could share something inwork.
They could share somethingoutside of work.
It could be very personal, itcould be whatever they want to
sort of interpret your questionas.
(19:30):
But again, I do think that justby normalizing the fact that we
have a purpose in and outside ofour day to day, and that it
should be part of.
Day-to-day job, like thereshould be something in your week
that lights you up, right?
And if, if there isn't, maybethat's an issue, maybe that's
something to be resolved.
But by asking that to youremployees, like, what laid you
(19:50):
up this week?
What was the best part of yourwork week?
You can really get employees tostart 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 thatyou're just like, oh, I had to,
you know, for me it's typinginto spreadsheets like, oh, I
(20:11):
really did not enjoy that.
I don't like having to go backinto Salesforce and log all
these things.
That wasn't very fun.
And what's like just a mehactivity that you could maybe
put in a podcast headphones andget it done, but.
You know, spending more of yourtime on those love activities
and then asking yourself as likea manager or leader or even as a
(20:31):
teammate, like, is theresomething that the people around
you do better than you thatmm-hmm.
You would wanna hand to them?
And is there something that youcould take off their plate?
Um, I know in the sales, not togo too into sales and
partnerships, but what lights meup a lot is cold outreach.
Not a lot of people like makingcold calls.
I got the cold call queen title.
(20:53):
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, Ihave more work to do on like,
really hard conversations interms of negotiating and closing
deals is like, it does getharder when there's so many, um,
internal challenges that get inthe way of.
(21:13):
Moving a customer forward.
So I do know people that aregreat about that though.
They're like, oh, conflict, letme just step right into that
room and close the deal.
So again, by like reallyhighlighting what your team
excels at.
What different employees aregood at.
You're also bringing out thebest 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 ateam also allows you to really.
Understand how you could pullpeople in, you know, and
(21:53):
activate their love it o overtime because,'cause you're
seeing it each week and in termsof 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 allowus, it, it also allows us to
build our careers better.
I mean, again, we're talkingabout purpose at work, but you
know, what are employees reallygood at?
And I think by like 10 Xing onthose things that you really do
excel at, right?
You're spending your time andenergy better than everyone
being average at everything.
(22:25):
Like if you're trying to developevery employee to the same level
on all these skill sets, you'rejust not.
You're overlooking an importantquality, which is like what
people excel at.
Um, one thing I wanted tomention too is this, I know we
talked about the book out there,the six types of, uh, working
Genius by Uhhuh, PatrickLencioni.
(22:46):
I like that one.
That's just one example of abook that can be a great
resource for teams andorganizations to really hone in
on like.
What types of magic or strengthdo people bring to your
organization?
And I know StrengthsFinder hasbeen popular too, and, um, there
are so many strengths out there.
I think there are 30 plus outthere, but with the six types of
(23:07):
working genius, you can reallyidentify what those skill sets
are that you're really, um,really great at, and hire your
team accordingly, or look atyour teams accordingly.
Leslie (23:18):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
The other thing, the othersuggestion you shared was about
asking people or celebrating orrecognizing the things that are
going on in people's livesoutside of work.
And as you were talking aboutthat, I found myself.
(23:40):
Feeling how it can humanize thework, right?
Because we are more than what webring into work, and there are
things that are.
Uh, more important to us thanwork and allowing that to be and
bringing it into the workplace.
It, in a way I could see how itcould create some psychological
(24:03):
safety for people to bring theirselves mm-hmm.
Into the workplace.
Megan (24:09):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I think you just brought up anexcellent point.
Psychological safety is a hugepart of, uh, great leadership
and of.
Just doing, I think it's just a,an imperative really for mm-hmm.
Organizations to createpsychological safety and that
just cannot be done withoutacknowledging lives outside of
(24:29):
work.
And the fact that it's safe tobring those components into your
role.
Leslie (24:34):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So we talked a little bit about.
How as a leader or a company, wecan 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, askingyourself questions.
I think it can be scarysometimes.
We can have resistance to thisbecause maybe we don't want to
admit to ourselves that we'venot been, like, once you're
aware of this, you can't reallyignore it.
So it's, it's a blessing and acurse I feel for myself
sometimes.
I'm always asking like, what litme up about this week?
(25:07):
What was the best part of it?
Um, and it, it's, it's hard tojust put your head down, go to
work and ignore if you're notfeeling lit up.
So it does require us, I think,to go deeper for ourselves and
what, what gives me purposepersonally?
What lit me up when I was a kid?
What common themes do I see inmy life, um, as an individual
(25:29):
and maybe start without thework?
And then you kind of.
Put in.
Okay, now, now I've got myindividual purpose lit up.
Oh, I like to create pottery onthe weekends.
Or I like to play guitar.
I like to go rock climb.
Like what are your kind ofhobbies, interests?
And maybe you don't have many,and maybe that's something
assigned to you to like thinkabout if I had a few hobbies or
(25:50):
interests, what would those be?
Mm-hmm.
And then.
Go a layer deeper into theworkplace and, um, getting real
about the Love it.
Love it.
Meh.
Or like it, I guess you couldsay, activity where you go
through your week and I wouldactually challenge everyone to
do this.
Like go through your day, gothrough your week.
I.
In a typical work week, what wasit that lit you up the most And
(26:12):
like really honing in on thosespecific pieces.
We don't wanna spend too muchtime on the Met or the loathed
activities, but like puttingyour focus and energy on Love
it.
And how can I do more of that?
And again, if you're coming upshort, then I challenge you to
think about how you might beable to bring.
Any sort of skill sets you havein your, uh, day-to-day life?
(26:32):
Like for me, I like to buildcommunity in the running
community.
How can I bring community intomy work?
Right?
How could I build community?
Could I lead a, you know, acommunity of belonging?
They call them at myorganization.
Like, could I start a communityof belonging?
Right?
Could someone do that?
And get just as much, if notmore fulfillment outta that
component than their day-to-daywork.
(26:53):
And it's not taking over, right?
But it could be five, 10, 20% ofyour work time gets to now be
spent on this new activity thatyou really enjoy and also bring
value to your organization.
So,
Leslie (27:04):
right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
So getting really clear on whoyou are, what lights you up.
Looking for a way to bring thatinto 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 groupof community of belonging.
Mm-hmm.
And so let's say, let's takethat as an example.
Someone like you likes toconnect people and says, okay,
can I create this at work?
What advice do you have to thepeople that are going to approve
(27:49):
these types of, uh, to themanager?
Uh, what's your advice to themanager?
Megan (27:54):
I think this goes into also like utilizing, for
instance, professionaldevelopment funds, right?
You're kind of thinking about,okay, I wanna make the case to
my employer or my manager to getthis, um, you know, course
certification, community ofbelonging approved one.
I would see, or those alreadyexisting, right?
Like obviously you're.
Wow.
Such a trailblazer.
(28:15):
If they don't even exist, ifthere are no employee resource
groups, I think it starts withmaking the case for why those
should exist.
Mm-hmm.
And what you're gonna bebringing to the table.
Um, I know like AI can be a toolfor this too, to maybe bring to
light some.
Some things you wouldn't havethought of.
But I would also say, um,knowing what it does impact,
like how it impacts the bottomline of the organization, how is
(28:36):
this going to enhance belonging?
A sense of belonging?
How is it gonna bring peopletogether in a way that does not
take away from their work, butonly enhances who they are in
the workplace?
And, um, I don't have it onhand, but I'm sure that, you
know, employee resource groups,communities of belonging,
there's probably studies andresearch out there that does
show.
Employees who take part in thesethings can find a greater sense
(29:00):
of fulfillment in the workplace.
Mm-hmm.
And I can say from my ownexperience, I've seen this at
organizations where you thinkyou might, I might be the only
person you know that, um, movedhere from say, a different
country.
Right.
Like an international, uh,employee.
Or I might be the only personwho.
Well, okay, if we do as a dog,right?
(29:20):
'cause there's an employeeresource group for a dog, but
maybe you just wanna meet otherpeople who also share a similar
passion or p pursuit.
Right?
I mean, uh, I'll also say I, youknow, I think at one point we,
we may have one for folks withdisabilities.
Um, you know, you don't alwaysknow that.
And in, in a remote workforce,like I could be in a wheelchair
here and you wouldn't know.
(29:41):
But I might want a sense of, I'dlove to talk to somebody else at
my organization who also isright.
You know, experiencing, um, thischallenge in their own life.
And, and so I think that again,by creating those, there's ones
for parents, right?
New parents out there, supportgroups.
By doing that in the workplace,you're really just improving.
(30:02):
'cause would you rather haveyour employee go and find a
parent resource group that'soutside of the workplace, right.
Or would you rather them findthat within?
Yeah.
And, uh, Gallup's research aboutall of the.
People who have a best friend atwork are more likely to stay at
work.
It's pretty imperative too, thatyour employees feel they have
somebody at work that they couldgo to.
(30:23):
It doesn't need to be their bestfriend in the world, but
hopefully it's a, a best friendthat you just someone you can
confide in Right.
And relate to.
Leslie (30:31):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yes.
Yeah.
Um, any downfall in purpose inthe 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 aworkplace that experiences a
downfall from that, and I'm justsmiling because I don't really
see there being a downside.
Mm-hmm.
Um, you know, I, again, I thinkemployers who ultimately feel a
(31:03):
threat by, I think that's maybeone of the things is that some
employers feel.
Like, oh, if my employees allfind their purpose, they're
gonna leave their job.
You know?
I don't think that's true.
I think that just means they'regonna show up at work better,
and maybe they'll switch jobswithin your company.
I think that's anotherpossibility is that by creating
a greater sense of like, whatis, what is this employee really
(31:25):
good at?
You can.
Maybe find them a better role,maybe they find a better fit
within your organization.
Um, but by not having thoseconversations, your employees
are gonna go elsewhere.
They're gonna look at thealternative, which is, I don't
feel it in my job.
I'm gonna leave my job for anew, yeah, a new role
ultimately.
And so, um, the more you cancreate opportunities for
employees to feel that in theirexisting role or in their
(31:48):
existing organization, thebetter, uh, you're gonna be to
retain employees
Leslie (31:53):
as well.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, does this employees bringingtheir purpose to work, employers
enabling that, does that workfor all employees?
And I'll share with you thething underneath this question
is I've heard people.
Make excuses for employees thatare more right-brained, like
(32:16):
your engineers, youraccountants, they don't do
purpose.
And, before I share my thoughtson that, what do you think?
Megan (32:29):
Uh, it's pretty interesting, you know, I, I
think it's hard for me to relateas someone who can't really see
past the ability to.
To, uh, prioritize purpose.
Like I, I can't imagine myselfin a job where I just put my
head down and go to work on thisone thing.
I think those people might bebetter or have a skill for sort
(32:50):
of compartmentalization, butthere's also something that they
do that brings them joy.
I have a lot of friends that arein the scientific field, and
while it doesn't really light meup to do lab chemical
experiments, I mean, it reallydoesn't on my day-to-day job.
That's why I'm not a chemist.
I have friends that are in thosefields that just are.
Fascinated by some of theoutcomes that can happen from
(33:11):
some of the engineering work or,um, chemistry type experiments
that they're running on aday-to-day basis.
So I think it just shows updifferently, really.
Leslie (33:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's what I believe too.
I, I agree.
I think we all have things thatlight us up and, and we all have
things that we feel like we aremeant to be doing in this world.
And.
That applies to everyone.
Yeah.
Megan (33:37):
Yeah.
I think we naturally gravitatetowards those.
And I would say that if anemployee is feeling high levels
of satisfaction from their workand enjoyment and engagement in
their job, they are essentiallyliving out their purpose.
To me, a lack of purpose screamslike, uh, higher levels of
dissatisfaction, discontent,disengagement.
And so I, I do see that thosetwo align for people that are in
(34:01):
those fields and committed tothem and lit up about them.
Leslie (34:04):
Yeah.
Anything else to say aboutpurpose in the workplace?
Megan (34:10):
You know, overall I would say.
Purpose in the workplace reallystarts with, the organization,
making this a priority.
And, um, I think with theindividuals, we can all take
stock of where we feel lit up inour day-to-day jobs and outside
of our jobs.
I think that purpose in theworkplace, again, it's an
imperative for, especially as wego into sort of this next decade
(34:34):
or and embracing this for thenext generations, it's just
gonna become more and moreimportant that we.
Embrace that as organizations,as leaders and as employees.
Leslie (34:44):
Yeah.
Yeah, that's a importantperspective it's not going away
for sure.
It's just gonna continue to getmore and more, embedded in
people's lives,
Megan (34:53):
absolutely.
Yeah.
And I think more and more peopledo look to their jobs maybe for
this I I do sense, like a shiftin, we look at purpose and we
think maybe religion orspirituality or families and,
and while those are all maybeimportant components to
someone's life, like I do seejust a shift in the way we're
thinking about it and, and thefact that a lot of people are
(35:14):
looking for this in theworkplace too.
Leslie (35:16):
Yeah, absolutely.
Megan, thank you for coming onpurpose project with us.
I've really enjoyed ourconversation and I'm even more,
convinced now than ever thatpurpose belongs in the
workplace.
And it's, about, both parties,the company and the individual,
creating space for them.
(35:38):
Absolutely.
Thanks for having me, Leslie.
It was a joy.
At the time when this episodereleases, I have been watching
my oldest daughter prepare toenter the corporate workforce.
As I sat in the audience of hercollege graduation surrounded by
thousands of college graduates,I couldn't help but think about
(35:58):
what Megan talks about, how thefuture of work must include
purpose.
If our workplaces embracepurpose, not just as a concept,
but as a practice, we have anopportunity to create
environments where theseemerging professionals can
thrive.
(36:19):
Purpose-driven workplaces iswhat the future workforce will
expect of their employers.
Megan, thank you for sharingyour insights and for being a
beacon of purpose and both yourpersonal and professional life.
And thanks to all of you fortuning in.
(36:39):
Purpose Project is brought toyou for education and for
entertainment purposes.
This podcast is not intended toreplace the advice that you
would receive from a licensedtherapist or doctor or any other
qualified professional.
Hi everyone.
My name is Leslie Pagel and thisis Purpose Project.
In this episode, I sit down withMegan Flanagan to talk about how
purpose shows up in theworkplace.
Megan has been exploring purposesince her college days, and she
is someone that prioritizespurpose both.
(00:26):
In her personal and herprofessional life.
In this episode, we discuss howpurpose is not a fleeting trend,
it is the future of work.
Let's take a listen.
Megan, thank you for joiningPurpose Project.
I am really looking forward toour conversation about purpose
in the workplace.
Megan (00:47):
Leslie, thank you for having me.
Really excited to be here todayand chat with you all about
purpose.
One of my favorite topics,
Leslie (00:53):
mine as well.
Well, before we get into the,the depths of purpose in the
workplace, tell us a little bitabout yourself.
Both from a personal andprofessional perspective.
Megan (01:07):
I would describe myself as someone who's a bit of a
go-getter.
I'm very passionate around thetopic of purpose itself and
really how that intersects withour careers and with our lives.
And I think about that a lot inmy own life.
I, I dig pretty deep into whatmy life purpose is, how that
carries out in the work that Ido day to day, and.
(01:29):
Really how it shows up in mycommunity and with the
connections around me.
So I think about purpose indifferent layers, and I would
also say I kind of identify assomeone who has a strong life
purpose, wants to bring it tolife, and is constantly in, uh,
pursuit of that.
Leslie (01:46):
Well, since you went there, everyone on the show gets
asked what their life purposeis.
What is, so what is yours?
Megan (01:54):
I would say my life purpose is to connect others, to
bring new ideas to life, onesthat are impactful and to really
help inspire others to reachtheir full potential.
Leslie (02:04):
Nice.
Megan (02:05):
And I do think there's value in getting specific around
your purpose, but also keepingit broad enough that you.
Have an openness or can, cannavigate life's changes.
I think if your purpose is sospecific to one role or one
chapter of life that you're in,you're maybe not opening
yourself to the fact thatpurpose can be broad and it can
(02:25):
also intertwine and, um, changethroughout the course of one's
lifetime.
Leslie (02:30):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I, that has definitely been atheme that I've picked up on is
how purpose.
Can and does evolve throughoutour lives.
And so being, keeping it kind ofbroad and open allows for some
of that flexibility.
Most definitely.
Yeah.
(02:50):
Anything else about yourself toshare?
Megan (02:54):
Yeah, I guess, um, trying to think of what makes me sort
of unique in the line ofpurpose.
Um, one of the ways peopleprobably don't know this, just
from looking at my LinkedInprofile or learning about me,
that I really.
Intersect with my purpose isthrough running.
So that is a big part of my lifeand what I do.
And I, I think that by running,it's not only for the pursuit of
(03:16):
my own, uh, potential, but alsothe ability to bring people
together.
So I'm hosting a women's runningretreat this year.
I have a, an organization forthe sport of.
Bringing, women and runningtogether.
And I would say that kind ofhelps, um, feed some of maybe
what I don't get in myday-to-day work or my job.
(03:36):
Uh, because my job is morebusiness focused and customer
facing.
Um, the nature of the work isn'tsuch that I'm out to be on the
trail all day.
So I really love, um, being outin the mountains and, and live
in Colorado and I'm able to doand carry out some of my purpose
in.
Maybe in, in a different contextthan mm-hmm.
(03:56):
Just the day-to-day work that Ido.
Leslie (03:58):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I've seen people where they liveout their purpose through their
passion.
It's, it's how they enact their,their purpose.
And it sounds like you loverunning and it's a, it's a
vehicle that allows you tofacilitate connection.
Megan (04:15):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And I, I don't know where thiswill come into play in our
conversation, but when I wasreflecting back on getting clear
with my own purpose and theimportance in our work, uh, I
know we'll be talking today,professional purpose.
Mm-hmm.
I look back on my college yearsand actually during my
undergraduate degree, there wasa class at University of
Minnesota.
(04:35):
I looked it up.
It's still there.
So if you go there or you, youknow, you're in college now, I
recommend it.
It's through the Center forSpirituality and Healing, and
it's just one semester and it'scalled Living on Purpose, like
an exploration of yourself, yourpurpose, and your community.
And I just wish every collegestudent took a course like that
because it was so instrumentalfor myself to really think.
(04:58):
You know what, this is pivotal.
This is important that I thinkabout this now and I, I know
many people look back on theirlives wishing they'd made
purpose more of a priority, um,in their work or in their line
of work that they choose to gointo.
And I think it really not onlylit me up personally, but also
had me thinking how do I carrythis out in the courses that I'm
(05:19):
taking and the work that I'll bedoing?
So, yeah.
Leslie (05:22):
Yeah, that is super cool.
To have had that at.
At a pivotal point in yourlifetime too, where you are,
there's this transition, whenyou're in college and to be able
to have a little bit ofanchoring into life's purpose.
Most definitely.
Megan (05:42):
Yeah.
And I know we're gonna betalking about it in the
workforce, so I would just saythat was kind of my foundation
for mm-hmm.
What a purposeful career lookslike as well.
Leslie (05:51):
Yeah.
Well, let's go there.
So purpose in the workplace.
So what does purpose look likein the workforce?
Megan (06:00):
Yeah, so I'll share that.
I've, um, more about my careerbackground really have spent a
lot of my career consulting withemployers and, um, organizations
around purpose at work andreally in the sense of workforce
wellbeing.
And I think that workforcewellbeing can't really be talked
about in terms of the health andwellness of your employees
without.
First addressing the core themesof, of engagement at work and a
(06:25):
sense of purpose when you gointo work.
So I think the purpose shows upat work in someone's day-to-day
role and sort of the tasks thatthey're carrying out day to day,
um, in the team that they're apart of with their manager as
that point of contact to really,um.
Kind of enable them to give thempermission right at work to
carry out their purpose.
I think the manager plays acritical role in the leadership
(06:47):
teams.
Mm-hmm.
And I think the organization,right?
A lot of organizations wanna tietheir meaning, even in maybe a
tech industry or constructionindustry to something
meaningful, like beyondthemselves.
Um, so I think thatorganizations do lay a
foundation, but without themanagers and the teams, carrying
this out, I think that.
Individual contributors oremployees have maybe a tougher
(07:11):
time navigating what theirpurpose is.
And you know, we can take itupon ourselves to do that, but
I, I think it's fascinating whatan organization does to create
that for their employees.
Mm-hmm.
Leslie (07:22):
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 alsoorganizational purpose and in
some companies are seeking tohave a, a purpose for the
(07:46):
business and then, and sothey're, they're creating
purpose for the business andthen the role of the manager is
really helping to.
Make, maybe it's twointersecting circles.
Business purpose, personalpurpose.
Mm-hmm.
And kinda make the connection.
Megan (08:04):
Yeah.
I actually, in a presentation Ilove to give, uh, finding joy
and purpose at work.
I really talk about these threepillars, sort of like the
purpose from your organization,um, the purpose from your
day-to-day work, and then sortof like that outside of work in
those intersections.
Mm-hmm.
Um, sometimes I also liken itto.
(08:25):
Kind of the, the individualpurpose day to day within your
job, your team or departmentalkind of purpose.
And I think the manager, again,or your leaders play a critical
role in that.
And then sort of the largerorganizational.
And I, I do see that there'sjust such a, oftentimes there
can be a disconnect, rightbetween.
(08:46):
Talking to employees about howtheir purpose shows up, and I do
one-on-one purpose coaching.
So sometimes I find that whatone person is.
Identifying as their purpose iscompletely, uh, misaligned,
maybe with their organization orthey're not really aware of what
their organization, theirorganizational purpose might be
(09:07):
written on the wall as a missionand 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 annualreviews and your goal setting,
where are these?
Components coming into play, youknow, when you're having these
conversations one-on-one withmanagers and employees, like how
(09:28):
are we intertwining someone'spurpose in the workplace?
And if that's not showing up, Ithink that's a sign that
something can be done to furtherthat.
Right?
Leslie (09:36):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I've often found myselfwondering, um, do managers ask
employees what their purpose is?
I know I've never been asked.
And you know, I honestly, Idon't know what I would do if I
were asked by my manager, youknow, what's your purpose?
I mean, I would, I would talkabout purpose project.
(09:57):
I know.
Megan (09:58):
Mm-hmm.
Leslie (09:59):
But, you know, five years ago, I don't, um, I don't
know how I would've answeredthat question, but to your
point, it's, it is in order forpurpose to live in the
organization, we have to talkabout it.
Right.
And there's, and there'sdifferent.
Pillars, or did you call'empillars?
Um,
Megan (10:18):
pillars,
Leslie (10:19):
yeah.
Uhhuh.
Uh, I was thinking circles.
Yeah.
Yeah, I was thinking of athree-legged stool.
Um, but yeah, there thedifferent kinda elements, the
three elements that you talkedabout and, for it to, to live in
business, it has to be a part ofour, 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 kindof a term that one might use,
it's like, how, how do you feelabout that personally as you
kind of reflect on that for yourown company that you're part of
and.
And I think as you're saying,right, like you would mention
Purpose project, the importanceof finding purpose outside of
(10:59):
work is so essential too.
Right.
And I do think that's becomingmore and more normalized with
maybe millennials and Gen Zersand those entering the workforce
of we have to, you know, purposeneeds to be either part of our
job and or outside of our jobs.
But I do see for like my parentsand generations before me that
it wasn't always that way.
That you're just kind of, you'regoing to work, you're grinding
(11:20):
away.
So that you can provide for yourfamily.
And I think that mentality nowhas shifted probably for all
generations in some way, but itis still something that we're,
um, kind of up against is thismm-hmm.
Like normalizing, uh, havingmaybe a side hustle or a passion
project outside of yourday-to-day job and knowing that
(11:40):
that's, that's not a threat tothe employer.
I think that employers will seethat oftentimes as a threat.
I mean.
Sure.
It could be in a, in a certainscenario if someone's gonna
depart their job for thatreason, but really it's
ultimately giving the employee agreater sense that they have
autonomy over their sense ofpurpose and that they're able to
do that outside of a day-to-dayjob.
Leslie (12:02):
Yeah.
Yeah.
When I think the other thing itgives an employer's benefit from
is energy, I think of.
When you're living on purposeand in your purpose, you've got
this energy about you that ismagnetic in some ways, and when
you go to work, you bring thatenergy with you, which is, can
(12:26):
hopefully be contagious in agood way.
Megan (12:30):
Yeah.
Um, I absolutely agree.
This is a, so I know McKinseydoes some studies and they had
one in 2020 recently aboutpurpose in one's day-to-day work
and employees who get purposefrom work.
Mm-hmm.
Sort of like who is getting asmuch as they'd like from their
job and who doesn't feel quitesatisfied and.
(12:52):
The, the results of this areastounding.
I mean, just in terms of thedifferences between like life
energy satisfaction, healthmeasures, and then we also look
at the day-to-day job andemployees that are more
satisfied, more committed, moreengaged, excited at work are
also more likely to stay,wouldn't you imagine?
Right.
It's like not too big of aconclusion to draw that you'll
(13:14):
likely retain employees who feelthat greater sense of energy and
vitality.
Day to day.
Leslie (13:19):
Absolutely.
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
So I've got this questionrunning through my head as I'm
listening to you, and, and thequestion is, you shared your
purpose as a part of yourintroduction, and I, in our
conversation, I found myselfwondering is our purpose.
(13:41):
Our purpose and, and it is ourpurpose in work.
It's our purpose out of work.
Mm-hmm.
Or is there like a purpose inwork 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 outand her whole finding your North
Star book was really inspiringto me in my earlier years of
figuring out my purpose.
And she talks a lot aboutintegrity and I think in order
to have a sense of integrity,and that's like a trait we all
(14:16):
strive for, right?
To be in alignment withourselves and with our
organization.
And I, I think.
Talk is cheap.
Sometimes the organizations willsay, we're all about this, but
unless you carry it out day today, are you really living it?
So, um, back to integrity, Ithink that a sense of integrity
also comes from alignment andaligning your purpose in all
aspects of your life.
(14:36):
In the sense that, uh, while mypurpose at work might.
Be carried out differently, likethe whole connecting people, new
ideas, innovating.
I do find that if that is shutdown in any component of my life
or in my job, that I'm not asfulfilled.
So in my day-to-day job, part ofmy job is connecting people.
(14:59):
As a business development, apartnerships person for a
socially impacted organizationor social impact driven org.
And another part of that is thatI wanna bring new ideas to life.
I've always been someone whowants to kind of break the mold.
And if I'm in a rule followingorganization, granted I know.
I respect rules, but if I amtold that you can't do that, you
can't try something new, youjust need to follow this
(15:22):
process, I'm not as happy.
Mm-hmm.
And I do think that that showsup in my personal life as well.
I do things a little bitdifferently than others and.
I, I mean, maybe that's who Iam.
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 kindof shows up in my work as well.
And I'm told I, you know, andevaluations, I pay attention to
(15:42):
those too, right?
Like a lot of us get peerevaluations.
What do people say about you andwhat you bring?
Mm-hmm.
And sometimes I don't think wecan see that in ourselves as
much self-awareness as we mighthave 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 alignabout, oh, she's a, she's an
(16:04):
integrator, a connector, uh, shepaints outside the lines, those
kind of help us define forourselves what our purpose looks
like.
Mm-hmm.
And you can do this in personallife too.
Ask three of your friends orclose 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'srevealing, you know?
Yeah.
In terms of what that lookslike.
Leslie (16:25):
Yeah.
Yeah.
So our purpose is our purpose.
We bring it to work with us.
And if the workplace doesn'tallow for us to live out aspects
of our purpose, we might not begetting 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, butyeah, absolutely.
Not getting the most of youremployees, when you're kind of
asking them, it's almost likeasking them to compartmentalize,
which I, I don't know howhealthy that is to like have to
shut off parts of your life orwho you are to show up at work
(17:02):
well and to do your job well.
And so it's kind of askingemployees to like.
Shove, shove that passion orpurpose away and come to work
and just do what we ask you to.
And I think, again, thatmentality needs to shift in the
sense that we're whole humansand we bring our whole selves to
work.
And your employees aren't justrobots.
And you know, I've also coachedathletes enough to see that like
(17:23):
an athlete's, not just someoneto perform in an event for you,
just like an employee isn't justthere to perform their job.
They're really a whole person.
And I think the more you can seethat as a manager, the more.
Split up your employees will beabout their work and more likely
to stay over time.
Leslie (17:40):
Yeah.
So what are some things thatyou've seen or that you do or
that are just ideas for how toallow 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 thenthere's the employee too.
(18:03):
Yeah.
Any suggestions?
Megan (18:06):
Yeah, I, I wanna find this acronym.
You might know it where there'slike autonomy, relatedness,
recognition.
I'll find it and maybe we canquote it, but there are some
different models out there,right?
When we look at the research ofwhat employees need at work.
Mm-hmm.
And I know that, um, recognitionin the sense that what's always
surprised me.
(18:26):
Maybe not always, but um, in myjob, I can speak to Kaiser
Permanente.
Loved my time there.
I think that they really did awonderful job, both managers I
had of celebrating people in andoutside of work.
You know, did someone getmarried?
Did they just run a big, I'verun a lot of big races.
What are they doing on theirweekend time?
You know, that's worthcelebrating.
And I think just by.
(18:47):
Sharing that Nice.
Um, in the workplace, I knowpeople feel the need to shut
that off and say, oh, mymanager's not gonna care about
this thing I've got going onover here, or my podcast I've
got.
Right.
I think that by recognizingemployees for what they do
outside of their day-to-day joband asking them.
Maybe like a, we used to do thisat my old team at Kaiser as
(19:08):
well, is like, tell me about apeach and a pit of your week.
Meaning like a high and a low,right?
A highlight, a low light of yourweek or your weekend, and
employees could choose if it'sabout the week itself or about
the month, depending on howoften you meet.
They could share something inwork.
They could share somethingoutside of work.
It could be very personal, itcould be whatever they want to
sort of interpret your questionas.
(19:30):
But again, I do think that justby normalizing the fact that we
have a purpose in and outside ofour day to day, and that it
should be part of.
Day-to-day job, like thereshould be something in your week
that lights you up, right?
And if, if there isn't, maybethat's an issue, maybe that's
something to be resolved.
But by asking that to youremployees, like, what laid you
(19:50):
up this week?
What was the best part of yourwork week?
You can really get employees tostart 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 thatyou're just like, oh, I had to,
you know, for me it's typinginto spreadsheets like, oh, I
(20:11):
really did not enjoy that.
I don't like having to go backinto Salesforce and log all
these things.
That wasn't very fun.
And what's like just a mehactivity that you could maybe
put in a podcast headphones andget it done, but.
You know, spending more of yourtime on those love activities
and then asking yourself as likea manager or leader or even as a
(20:31):
teammate, like, is theresomething that the people around
you do better than you thatmm-hmm.
You would wanna hand to them?
And is there something that youcould take off their plate?
Um, I know in the sales, not togo too into sales and
partnerships, but what lights meup a lot is cold outreach.
Not a lot of people like makingcold calls.
I got the cold call queen title.
(20:53):
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, Ihave more work to do on like,
really hard conversations interms of negotiating and closing
deals is like, it does getharder when there's so many, um,
internal challenges that get inthe way of.
(21:13):
Moving a customer forward.
So I do know people that aregreat about that though.
They're like, oh, conflict, letme just step right into that
room and close the deal.
So again, by like reallyhighlighting what your team
excels at.
What different employees aregood at.
You're also bringing out thebest 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 ateam also allows you to really.
Understand how you could pullpeople in, you know, and
(21:53):
activate their love it o overtime because,'cause you're
seeing it each week and in termsof 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 allowus, it, it also allows us to
build our careers better.
I mean, again, we're talkingabout purpose at work, but you
know, what are employees reallygood at?
And I think by like 10 Xing onthose things that you really do
excel at, right?
You're spending your time andenergy better than everyone
being average at everything.
(22:25):
Like if you're trying to developevery employee to the same level
on all these skill sets, you'rejust not.
You're overlooking an importantquality, which is like what
people excel at.
Um, one thing I wanted tomention too is this, I know we
talked about the book out there,the six types of, uh, working
Genius by Uhhuh, PatrickLencioni.
(22:46):
I like that one.
That's just one example of abook that can be a great
resource for teams andorganizations to really hone in
on like.
What types of magic or strengthdo people bring to your
organization?
And I know StrengthsFinder hasbeen popular too, and, um, there
are so many strengths out there.
I think there are 30 plus outthere, but with the six types of
(23:07):
working genius, you can reallyidentify what those skill sets
are that you're really, um,really great at, and hire your
team accordingly, or look atyour teams accordingly.
Leslie (23:18):
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
The other thing, the othersuggestion you shared was about
asking people or celebrating orrecognizing the things that are
going on in people's livesoutside of work.
And as you were talking aboutthat, I found myself.
(23:40):
Feeling how it can humanize thework, right?
Because we are more than what webring into work, and there are
things that are.
Uh, more important to us thanwork and allowing that to be and
bringing it into the workplace.
It, in a way I could see how itcould create some psychological
(24:03):
safety for people to bring theirselves mm-hmm.
Into the workplace.
Megan (24:09):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
I think you just brought up anexcellent point.
Psychological safety is a hugepart of, uh, great leadership
and of.
Just doing, I think it's just a,an imperative really for mm-hmm.
Organizations to createpsychological safety and that
just cannot be done withoutacknowledging lives outside of
(24:29):
work.
And the fact that it's safe tobring those components into your
role.
Leslie (24:34):
Absolutely.
Yeah.
So we talked a little bit about.
How as a leader or a company, wecan 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, askingyourself questions.
I think it can be scarysometimes.
We can have resistance to thisbecause maybe we don't want to
admit to ourselves that we'venot been, like, once you're
aware of this, you can't reallyignore it.
So it's, it's a blessing and acurse I feel for myself
sometimes.
I'm always asking like, what litme up about this week?
(25:07):
What was the best part of it?
Um, and it, it's, it's hard tojust put your head down, go to
work and ignore if you're notfeeling lit up.
So it does require us, I think,to go deeper for ourselves and
what, what gives me purposepersonally?
What lit me up when I was a kid?
What common themes do I see inmy life, um, as an individual
(25:29):
and maybe start without thework?
And then you kind of.
Put in.
Okay, now, now I've got myindividual purpose lit up.
Oh, I like to create pottery onthe weekends.
Or I like to play guitar.
I like to go rock climb.
Like what are your kind ofhobbies, interests?
And maybe you don't have many,and maybe that's something
assigned to you to like thinkabout if I had a few hobbies or
(25:50):
interests, what would those be?
Mm-hmm.
And then.
Go a layer deeper into theworkplace and, um, getting real
about the Love it.
Love it.
Meh.
Or like it, I guess you couldsay, activity where you go
through your week and I wouldactually challenge everyone to
do this.
Like go through your day, gothrough your week.
I.
In a typical work week, what wasit that lit you up the most And
(26:12):
like really honing in on thosespecific pieces.
We don't wanna spend too muchtime on the Met or the loathed
activities, but like puttingyour focus and energy on Love
it.
And how can I do more of that?
And again, if you're coming upshort, then I challenge you to
think about how you might beable to bring.
Any sort of skill sets you havein your, uh, day-to-day life?
(26:32):
Like for me, I like to buildcommunity in the running
community.
How can I bring community intomy work?
Right?
How could I build community?
Could I lead a, you know, acommunity of belonging?
They call them at myorganization.
Like, could I start a communityof belonging?
Right?
Could someone do that?
And get just as much, if notmore fulfillment outta that
component than their day-to-daywork.
(26:53):
And it's not taking over, right?
But it could be five, 10, 20% ofyour work time gets to now be
spent on this new activity thatyou really enjoy and also bring
value to your organization.
So,
Leslie (27:04):
right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
So getting really clear on whoyou are, what lights you up.
Looking for a way to bring thatinto 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 groupof community of belonging.
Mm-hmm.
And so let's say, let's takethat as an example.
Someone like you likes toconnect people and says, okay,
can I create this at work?
What advice do you have to thepeople that are going to approve
(27:49):
these types of, uh, to themanager?
Uh, what's your advice to themanager?
Megan (27:54):
I think this goes into also like utilizing, for
instance, professionaldevelopment funds, right?
You're kind of thinking about,okay, I wanna make the case to
my employer or my manager to getthis, um, you know, course
certification, community ofbelonging approved one.
I would see, or those alreadyexisting, right?
Like obviously you're.
Wow.
Such a trailblazer.
(28:15):
If they don't even exist, ifthere are no employee resource
groups, I think it starts withmaking the case for why those
should exist.
Mm-hmm.
And what you're gonna bebringing to the table.
Um, I know like AI can be a toolfor this too, to maybe bring to
light some.
Some things you wouldn't havethought of.
But I would also say, um,knowing what it does impact,
like how it impacts the bottomline of the organization, how is
(28:36):
this going to enhance belonging?
A sense of belonging?
How is it gonna bring peopletogether in a way that does not
take away from their work, butonly enhances who they are in
the workplace?
And, um, I don't have it onhand, but I'm sure that, you
know, employee resource groups,communities of belonging,
there's probably studies andresearch out there that does
show.
Employees who take part in thesethings can find a greater sense
(29:00):
of fulfillment in the workplace.
Mm-hmm.
And I can say from my ownexperience, I've seen this at
organizations where you thinkyou might, I might be the only
person you know that, um, movedhere from say, a different
country.
Right.
Like an international, uh,employee.
Or I might be the only personwho.
Well, okay, if we do as a dog,right?
(29:20):
'cause there's an employeeresource group for a dog, but
maybe you just wanna meet otherpeople who also share a similar
passion or p pursuit.
Right?
I mean, uh, I'll also say I, youknow, I think at one point we,
we may have one for folks withdisabilities.
Um, you know, you don't alwaysknow that.
And in, in a remote workforce,like I could be in a wheelchair
here and you wouldn't know.
(29:41):
But I might want a sense of, I'dlove to talk to somebody else at
my organization who also isright.
You know, experiencing, um, thischallenge in their own life.
And, and so I think that again,by creating those, there's ones
for parents, right?
New parents out there, supportgroups.
By doing that in the workplace,you're really just improving.
(30:02):
'cause would you rather haveyour employee go and find a
parent resource group that'soutside of the workplace, right.
Or would you rather them findthat within?
Yeah.
And, uh, Gallup's research aboutall of the.
People who have a best friend atwork are more likely to stay at
work.
It's pretty imperative too, thatyour employees feel they have
somebody at work that they couldgo to.
(30:23):
It doesn't need to be their bestfriend in the world, but
hopefully it's a, a best friendthat you just someone you can
confide in Right.
And relate to.
Leslie (30:31):
Yeah, absolutely.
Yes.
Yeah.
Um, any downfall in purpose inthe 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 aworkplace that experiences a
downfall from that, and I'm justsmiling because I don't really
see there being a downside.
Mm-hmm.
Um, you know, I, again, I thinkemployers who ultimately feel a
(31:03):
threat by, I think that's maybeone of the things is that some
employers feel.
Like, oh, if my employees allfind their purpose, they're
gonna leave their job.
You know?
I don't think that's true.
I think that just means they'regonna show up at work better,
and maybe they'll switch jobswithin your company.
I think that's anotherpossibility is that by creating
a greater sense of like, whatis, what is this employee really
(31:25):
good at?
You can.
Maybe find them a better role,maybe they find a better fit
within your organization.
Um, but by not having thoseconversations, your employees
are gonna go elsewhere.
They're gonna look at thealternative, which is, I don't
feel it in my job.
I'm gonna leave my job for anew, yeah, a new role
ultimately.
And so, um, the more you cancreate opportunities for
employees to feel that in theirexisting role or in their
(31:48):
existing organization, thebetter, uh, you're gonna be to
retain employees
Leslie (31:53):
as well.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, does this employees bringingtheir purpose to work, employers
enabling that, does that workfor all employees?
And I'll share with you thething underneath this question
is I've heard people.
Make excuses for employees thatare more right-brained, like
(32:16):
your engineers, youraccountants, they don't do
purpose.
And, before I share my thoughtson that, what do you think?
Megan (32:29):
Uh, it's pretty interesting, you know, I, I
think it's hard for me to relateas someone who can't really see
past the ability to.
To, uh, prioritize purpose.
Like I, I can't imagine myselfin a job where I just put my
head down and go to work on thisone thing.
I think those people might bebetter or have a skill for sort
(32:50):
of compartmentalization, butthere's also something that they
do that brings them joy.
I have a lot of friends that arein the scientific field, and
while it doesn't really light meup to do lab chemical
experiments, I mean, it reallydoesn't on my day-to-day job.
That's why I'm not a chemist.
I have friends that are in thosefields that just are.
Fascinated by some of theoutcomes that can happen from
(33:11):
some of the engineering work or,um, chemistry type experiments
that they're running on aday-to-day basis.
So I think it just shows updifferently, really.
Leslie (33:20):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's what I believe too.
I, I agree.
I think we all have things thatlight us up and, and we all have
things that we feel like we aremeant to be doing in this world.
And.
That applies to everyone.
Yeah.
Megan (33:37):
Yeah.
I think we naturally gravitatetowards those.
And I would say that if anemployee is feeling high levels
of satisfaction from their workand enjoyment and engagement in
their job, they are essentiallyliving out their purpose.
To me, a lack of purpose screamslike, uh, higher levels of
dissatisfaction, discontent,disengagement.
And so I, I do see that thosetwo align for people that are in
(34:01):
those fields and committed tothem and lit up about them.
Leslie (34:04):
Yeah.
Anything else to say aboutpurpose in the workplace?
Megan (34:10):
You know, overall I would say.
Purpose in the workplace reallystarts with, the organization,
making this a priority.
And, um, I think with theindividuals, we can all take
stock of where we feel lit up inour day-to-day jobs and outside
of our jobs.
I think that purpose in theworkplace, again, it's an
imperative for, especially as wego into sort of this next decade
(34:34):
or and embracing this for thenext generations, it's just
gonna become more and moreimportant that we.
Embrace that as organizations,as leaders and as employees.
Leslie (34:44):
Yeah.
Yeah, that's a importantperspective it's not going away
for sure.
It's just gonna continue to getmore and more, embedded in
people's lives,
Megan (34:53):
absolutely.
Yeah.
And I think more and more peopledo look to their jobs maybe for
this I I do sense, like a shiftin, we look at purpose and we
think maybe religion orspirituality or families and,
and while those are all maybeimportant components to
someone's life, like I do seejust a shift in the way we're
thinking about it and, and thefact that a lot of people are
(35:14):
looking for this in theworkplace too.
Leslie (35:16):
Yeah, absolutely.
Megan, thank you for coming onpurpose project with us.
I've really enjoyed ourconversation and I'm even more,
convinced now than ever thatpurpose belongs in the
workplace.
And it's, about, both parties,the company and the individual,
creating space for them.
(35:38):
Absolutely.
Thanks for having me, Leslie.
It was a joy.
At the time when this episodereleases, I have been watching
my oldest daughter prepare toenter the corporate workforce.
As I sat in the audience of hercollege graduation surrounded by
thousands of college graduates,I couldn't help but think about
(35:58):
what Megan talks about, how thefuture of work must include
purpose.
If our workplaces embracepurpose, not just as a concept,
but as a practice, we have anopportunity to create
environments where theseemerging professionals can
thrive.
(36:19):
Purpose-driven workplaces iswhat the future workforce will
expect of their employers.
Megan, thank you for sharingyour insights and for being a
beacon of purpose and both yourpersonal and professional life.
And thanks to all of you fortuning in.
(36:39):
Purpose Project is brought toyou for education and for
entertainment purposes.
This podcast is not intended toreplace the advice that you
would receive from a licensedtherapist or doctor or any other
qualified professional.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.