May 17, 2010

Dear Attendees,

It was a pleasure to have you join Unbound Ideas for Dave and Wendy Ulrich’s May 13 webinar. Thank you for providing feedback and participating in the conversation.

We are pleased to make this session summary available to you along with several resources provided by Dave and Wendy. On the right side of this page, you will notice a light blue column that contains several elements. Just under the two speakers’ pictures, you’ll find a slide image that links to the on-demand recording from this session, along with access instructions. If you did not sign up for this access, but did attend the live session, contact Tad Furtado at (800) 348-3470 or via email to learn more about gaining access.

Next, you will find a list of resources that include the session handout material packet and some additional links that may be of use and interest.

We were privileged to enjoy this pre-launch discussion of the Ulrich’s new book, The Why of Work, to be released in book stores on June 7. We believe this book will have an important impact on leadership and the world of work in 2010 and beyond.

Dave and Wendy started by acknowledging a common perception that in our organizations, our personal lives and our social groups, we seem to be confronting a deficit of meaning these days. Perhaps this is due to a confluence of factors, including the isolating aspects of information technology, the “emotional recession” many of us are experiencing in the wake of a very trying economic recession, and the apparent failure of leadership which led to many of our difficulties.

Next, the idea of meaning and the role it plays in our lives, organizations and social groups was defined. Meaning, essentially, is the sense of value we experience in our lives. We find it through a sense of self and purpose. Obviously, people can find meaning in many realms. It can be experienced most easily, perhaps, in the area of family and personal relationships. And we can also find a sense of meaning through hobbies, activities, sports, and membership in various social groups ranging from political parties to religious organizations.

But, as the Ulrich’s pointed out, meaning can and should be found in the workplace, as well – something some of us are lucky to experience on a regular basis and others long for.

Dave noted that meaning has not always been a high priority in the workplace. Indeed, it seems to be a new emphasis for leading organizations, and one that is demonstrating bottom-line benefits. In an interesting aside, he showed how we have moved through three consecutive eras in how we think about improving organizations over the last twenty years. In the early 90s, for instance, organizations began to understand the importance of competencies. Consequently, most major organizations today have developed competency models for their employees and leaders. In the late 90s, organizations began to focus on employee commitment, spurred by research studies that proved a link between engagement and exceptional performance. But the Ulrich’s stated that the new concern is for contribution, which is the level at which meaning operates.

Dave showed us a rubric that demonstrated how the meaning experienced by employees impacts customers, investors, and the community. He further elaborated with statistics, such as stock price, employee satisfaction, brand identity, product satisfaction, etc., that provided concrete evidence for those ideas.

Wendy then gave us a definition of the abundant organization, as a place that is rich in meaning for employees and, consequently, those other stakeholders like customers and investors.

The focus of Dave and Wendy’s book is on leadership, because leaders are one of the main leverage points of meaning-making in organizations. In other words, they have undue influence and obligation to create organizations that are abundant.

The rest of the presentation honed in on the details of how meaning can be fostered by leaders, HR professionals, and individuals. Specifically, Dave and Wendy talked about 7 key areas:

• Identity – what we are known for, and the strengths we employ to help others
• Purpose – where we are going
• Relationships – the role of teamwork and other social connections
• Positive work environment – how a culture of performance and execution is fostered
• Engagement – the challenges that create interest and focus
• Resilience – how learning and growth take place, particularly through setbacks
• Civility and Delight – how emotion and good feeling reinforce the value of meaning

At the end of this extensive discussion, Dave and Wendy drew up an HR agenda for developing meaning, which included action items on the personal, organizational and customer levels.

We asked Dave and Wendy for final thoughts before closing. Wendy ended with an apt paraphrase of Nietzsche. “If we have a why to work, we can put up with many difficult hows.” Dave made a very simple closing remark: “Making meaning makes money. This is not a social agenda but a business agenda.”

It was a content rich presentation filled with many details to ponder and insights to reflect on. We know that this discussion is only beginning for many of our listeners. Dave and Wendy’s book, The Why of Work, will help continue the conversation and provide another look at many of the details, strategies, and discussion points. We encourage you to contribute your own observations and insights by commenting below, emailing us, or being in touch with Dave and Wendy directly.

On behalf of Dave and Wendy Ulrich, we thank you again for joining us, and look forward to the next occasion.

Warm Regards,
Unbound Ideas