1: Not as much as we might think.
“Like an iceberg, salary and benefits are the visible part,” Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership.
“But they comprise less than 15 percent of our motivation,” he notes.
The research shows that 85 percent of the reasons we are engaged at work lie below the surface.
“And that part,” Fred notes, “is composed of respect, … continue reading
1: What exactly is the “parenthood paradox”?
Research shows that most parents of grown-up children are very happy they’ve had them, Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution.
Yet, parents still living with children in the home score low on happiness.
So what’s going on here?
“It seems that raising kids decreases happiness but increases meaning,” Fred observes.
Which suggests a higher-level insight: “Happiness and meaning often build on … continue reading
1: It’s Saturday night. We are at a chamber music recital, listening intently as the musicians play one of Mozart’s string quartets. When they finish, we join other audience members clapping with genteel applause.
The following day, we attend an NFL football game. On a last-second play, the quarterback finds an open receiver who scores a touchdown, and our team wins the game. We leap to our feet, screaming and … continue reading
“Culture is coded wisdom.”-Wangari Maathai
1: Seen the movie City Slickers?
At the heart of this classic 1990s comedy is the relationship between Mitch, a Manhattan yuppie played by Billy Crystal, and Curly, a tough, wizened cowboy played by Jack Palance.
Curly tells Mitch, “It all comes down to one thing. You focus on that, and everything else don’t mean s#&t.”
Mitch is confused. He asks Curly … continue reading
“People can feel empowered or disempowered by the way you run things.” —A priest on the impact of managers, quoted in MIT Sloan Management Review: “What Makes Work Meaningful — Or Meaningless”
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working … continue reading
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
Last Friday, we analyzed five factors that make our work meaningful, as Catherine Bailey and Adrian Madden outline in their article What Makes Work Meaningful — Or Meaningless in … continue reading
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
This week, we’ve been exploring ideas in Fred Kofman‘s book The Meaning Revolution. Fred believes that to be a truly successful leader, “We need to make our lives … continue reading
1: “People with targets and jobs dependent upon meeting them will probably meet the targets, even if they have to destroy the enterprise to do it,” observed W. Edwards Deming, the eminent scholar and management theorist.Â
Our “real job” is to help our company win, Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution.  “That is, to accomplish its mission profitably and ethically.”
But that’s not what we … continue reading
1: It was a brutally hot day in Las Vegas.
The conference room where the meeting was being held was freezing, however.
“The participants of my ‘Conscious Business’ workshop pulled their jackets tight and grimaced. They weren’t just cold; they were pissed off,” Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership.
“They looked at me icily,” Fred remembers. “I’ve been in situations like this many … continue reading
1: New year. New us.
That’s a possibility. But what precisely are we going to do differently?
One of my big learnings last year was around the power of intrinsic motivators.
We often set goals where our reward is getting a promotion or a raise. Or being recognized for winning a game. These are examples of extrinsic motivators. Things outside of us.
There’s nothing wrong with extrinsic motivation. But the … continue reading
