Building a Legacy with People Session 1: Begin by Truly Knowing People
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Version 8 2/28/2023
- 1 - © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Session 1 Introduction: Building a Legacy with People is one of seven courses in the BaU series. It is designed to accomplish two goals. These two goals are for business leaders to: • Find more meaning and life purpose in their work • Practice the skills and principles for cultivating a business culture that creates a more fulfilling workplace for employees and a greater competitive advantage with customers. In this course, we will tackle the vision, scope, and strategy of finding purpose in people. Our vision is to put people first by getting to know them and expressing care for them—both for “what they do” but most importantly for “who they are!” Why would we want to put people first in these ways? We will argue that: • It causes us to grow and stretch outside our comfort zone as a leader. • It may greatly improve the life satisfaction and quality of being for the people who matter to us. • When others know that they are thoughtfully on our minds, it frees them to respond with actions of kindness to people around them, including colleagues and customers. W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, authors of Blue Ocean Strategy, successfully argue that companies can succeed not by battling competitors, but rather by creating “blue oceans” of new and uncontested market space beyond the reach of their competitors. “Red ocean” is considered the known market space where companies try to outperform their rivals in cutthroat competition that turns the ocean a bloody red. So how do leaders who deeply want a purpose beyond performance still compete in such a competitive space? Leaders who want to find purpose at work and maintain competitive advantage distinguish themselves by a “put-people-first” strategy. Indeed, a blue ocean space will be created as an organization or business values both people and profits. An “innovative culture” of making people truly a priority will set any organization apart. Becoming a “putting people first” kind of organization requires an emphasis on being relational on purpose; it means developing authentic relationships with customers, constituents, members, employees and staff with intentionality and clarity. Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People a blue ocean space will be created as an organization or business values both people and profits. Note to Management: Staff attention to customers and clients is directly proportionate to my attention to the staff! Our vision is to put people first by getting to know them and expressing care for them—both for “what they do” but most importantly for “who they are!” Scan QR code for HBR article about What employees really want. (or see pages 13–16 of this session.) Scan QR code to take the Purpose Assessment (or see pages 10–11 of this session.)
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 2 - Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People In the Session 1 video, Dr. David Ferguson and leaders from McCoy’s Building Supply share examples of what it might look like to be intentional about getting to know our fellow employees and customers. This is one tool for how we can get to know people. Putting People First: Defined Putting people first means we are intentionally doing things that let people know that they are a priority—that we value them. We do this by getting to know them and by giving first to them. In order to build a legacy with people, individuals and organizations must view profits as important, but see people as their first priority. Now, let’s consider some of the possible benefits of putting people first. Putting people first means we are intentionally doing things that let people know that they are a priority—that we value them. We do this by getting to know them and by giving first to them. We will offer a few and then perhaps you can brainstorm additional benefits with your team. A work environment that views profits as important, but sees people as the first priority would: Help people feel known and cared for Remove aloneness and feelings of isolation Motivate others to care and serve Mitigate against employees and customers feeling used Cause the giver to grow and experience more “life satisfaction” Increase employee engagement and customer loyalty Pause and Reflect: Comment on one of the benefits mentioned above, or others you think of related to how finding purpose in people might benefit you and your organization? Putting People First Through Better Knowing Our Employees and Customers. 1. To put people first, we must get to know them. It’s hard to care for people you don’t know. It’s hard to lead people you don’t know. It’s hard to engage employees you don’t really know. It’s hard to create loyal customers whom you don’t really know. Pause and Reflect When have you experienced that knowing others increased your ability to care for, lead, and engage them?
- 3 - © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Session 1 Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People Strengthening Relationships “You are someone I’d really like to get to know better, so I want to ask you the following questions:” 1. “Where’s your favorite restaurant?” 2. “What do you like to watch on TV the most?” 3. “What’s your favorite type of music, artist, songs?” 4. “What do you enjoy doing most in your spare time?” 5. “What are you looking forward to the most outside of work these days?” 6. “Who would you like to have dinner with?” 7. "What’s one area of personal growth that you’re working on?" 8. "Can you tell me a little bit about your family?” 9. “Where would be a favorite place you would like to visit?” 10. “What’s one of the best memories you had growing up?” 11. “Who was the most important person in your life growing up?” 12. “What do you like most about people (stars, athletes) who you look up to?” 13. “What are some challenges you’re facing outside of work?” 14. "What’s one of the challenges you’ve overcome in your life?" As each person shares, be sure 1 or 2 people briefly acknowledges what has been said: “Thanks for telling us. I’m glad you have that to look forward to.” or, “I’m so impressed. Thank you for sharing!” You’ll be meeting the need of ATTENTION by listening attentively and learning about one another’s life story. You can meet the relational need for ACCEPTANCE by sharing a response. That might sound like: “Thank you for telling us about that growth area. Welcome to the club!” or, “I appreciate you sharing that with us. I’m glad you let us know some of the challenges you’re facing–so we can care.” When we spend time getting to know others, it strengthens relationships with them and sets us up to better Give First to them. Facilitator begins by asking a participant one of the questions; the participant responds. Then, asks another participant to answer any other question. Consider doing two or three rounds, depending on time availability. Pause to strengthen relationships. Take time now using the Strengthening Relationships worksheet as a practical tool for knowing people; taking turns asking one another several questions to better know one another.
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 4 - Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People HOW TO USE THE WORKSHEETS/TOOLS IN THIS SESSION: The following pages contain two more practical tools for HOW to truly know people. Here are some recommended ways to use them: 1. Getting to Know You worksheet (GTKY) y Complete this worksheet yourself and then ask your co-workers and/or direct reports to do the same. Exchange your worksheets with each other. Use them to start conversations, inform birthday gifts, celebrations, and to find common interests. y Complete this worksheet yourself and then ask your customers to do the same. Use them to start conversations, inform appreciation gifts, and other opportunities to give. 2. Knowing Others Assessment y Collect this information about all of your peers and direct reports and use it to spark more conversation. y Collect this information about your top customers and use the information to deepen connection. y Use this information to look/listen for opportunities and occasions to celebrate with employees or customers. y Use this information to look/listen for occasions to acknowledge and share condolences with employees or customers.
- 5 - © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Session 1 Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People ©David L. Ferguson Used by Permission Getting to Know You Date Updated: Top 3 Relational Needs: First Name (Preferred) Last Name Birthday (month/day) Significant Other/Spouse Anniversary (month/day/year) Birthday (month/day) Children, Close Family and Best Friend/s Name/Age Relationship Name/Age Relationship Name/Age Relationship Name/Age Relationship Name/Age Relationship Name/Age Relationship Name/Age Relationship Close Friend Close Friend Pets: Name/Type? Favorites Cold Drink Hot Drink Snack Food Dessert Restaurant Music Group/Artist Sport Team/s Hobbies Significant Life Reflections Share below additional life reflections about you: Life Celebrations (Past) Life Celebrations (Present) Life Dreams (Future) If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? (Living or deceased) Something interesting about you which others might not know Cell Phone: Store/Company Current City, State Other significant dates
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 6 - Make a list of the 3–10 most significant people in your life—possibly a mixture of team members, customers, family members, and friends. How many of the items (1 through 10) do you truly know about each person? Co-worker’s/Customers/Family/Friend’s Name(s) 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ 1._______________ 2._______________ 3.________________ 4.________________ 5.________________ Now plan to initiate contact and conversation with each of these people in your life—in order to better know them, looking for opportunities to show interest and communicate care. Knowing Others Assessment TRULY KNOWING: 1. Name of person 2. Birthday 3. Significant other’s name 4. Wedding anniversary 5. Children’s names/ages 6. Pet name(s)/type(s) 7. Favorite cold drink 8. Favorite hot drink 9. Favorite food/restaurant 10. Favorite snack/dessert 11. Life celebration (past) 12. Life celebration (present) 13. Life dream 14. Where would you travel to if you could? 15. Who would you have dinner with if you could? 16. A current challenge 17. Significant past pain or disappointment Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People
- 7 - © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Session 1 Make a list of the 3–10 most significant people in your life—possibly a mixture of team members, customers, family members, and friends. How many of the items (1 through 10) do you truly know about each person? Co-worker’s/Customers/Family/Friend’s Name(s) 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ 6._______________ 7._______________ 8.________________ 9.________________ 10.________________ Now plan to initiate contact and conversation with each of these people in your life—in order to better know them, looking for opportunities to show interest and communicate care. Knowing Others Assessment TRULY KNOWING: 1. Name of person 2. Birthday 3. Significant other’s name 4. Wedding anniversary 5. Children’s names/ages 6. Pet name(s)/type(s) 7. Favorite cold drink 8. Favorite hot drink 9. Favorite food/restaurant 10. Favorite snack/dessert 11. Life celebration (past) 12. Life celebration (present) 13. Life dream 14. Where would you travel to if you could? 15. Who would you have dinner with if you could? 16. A current challenge 17. Significant past pain or disappointment Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 8 - Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People HOMEWORK y Watch the video for the next session. y Complete and email your GTKY sheet to your course facilitator. y Read page 9 and complete the reflection questions. Take the Purpose Assessment on pages 10–11 or use the QR Code on page 1 of this session to take the assessment digitally. y Identify and practice “Strengthening Relationship” conversations with a potential “mentee.” y Exchange GTKY sheets with some of your closest teammates. Complete as much of pages 6–7 as you can, on your own, about these teammates. y Begin learning more of the above mentioned teammate’s GTKY insights to build out your “Knowing Others Assessment” sheet over the next six weeks. y Show some care for any obvious insights, E.g., wish them a happy birthday or anniversary. Look/listen for easy chances to celebrate something or find things you have in common. y Think of someone who has been a mentor to YOU and text, call, or email an expression of gratitude for their investments in you. Say thank you for their time, expertise, guidance, and care. We’ll share any responses you receive at the beginning of our session next week. 2. Now, let’s explore some of the things that might make it harder for us to put people first: • Pressure to perform • Learning a way of doing business that tries to get things done through people. • Fear of being used, hurt, or being taken advantage of Pause and Reflect What might make it harder for you to put people first? BEFORE the next session: We suggest that you employ a tool to get to know others (The one we offer here, is called Knowing Others Assessment.) You can also create your own worksheet and tailor the questions that you really want to know about your employees and customers. Make it your goal to know the ten important items about each person on your list. Remember: You cannot care well for people that you do not know well. CLOSING: Scan or Click the QR code to watch the 5-minute video, “If You Don’t Know the Airmen, You Can’t Lead Them.”
- 9 - © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Session 1 EXPLORING VARIOUS ASPECTS OF LIFE PURPOSE can be helpful for increasing motivation, life balance, and academic/workplace performance. Providing opportunities and encouragement to intersect longer range life purpose hopes with more immediate academic/workplace pursuits can provide added focus, creativity and energy to daily activities. Reflecting on the questions below can prepare you to further explore key dimensions of life purpose through the Purpose Assessment on the following page. Instructions: 1. Eliminate interruptions, turn off cell phones. 2. Indicate your responses quickly —without over-thinking them. 3. Complete the 7 Reflective Questions first, followed by the 28 question Purpose Assessment . 4. Your answers to the Reflective Questions are only for you. You do not need to share them with others unless you choose to. Self-Awareness: Purpose Beyond Performance Reflective Questions: 1. What makes you smile? (Activities, people, events, hobbies, projects, etc.) 2. What activities make you lose track of time? 3. What would you regret not fully doing, being, or having in your life? 4. Given your talents, passions and values, how could you use these resources to serve, to help, to contribute? (to people, beings, causes, organization, environment, planet, etc.) 5. What causes do you strongly believe in? Connect with? 6. If you had a chance to share one thing with a group of people, who would these people be? What would you say? 7. Imagine it is late in life and you are looking back on your life and accomplishments. Looking at all that you’ve achieved and acquired, all the relationships you’ve developed—what matters to you most? List them out. “Corporations function according to a simple-minded and (one could argue) pathological philosophy: the singleminded pursuits of profits. Not included: personal and family values, religion and spiritual values, love and friendship, a sense of community, a sense of patriotism, local loyalty, a sense of non-contractual obligation to employees, managers, customers, vendors, and the environment.” — Robert Solomon, is a Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Business and Philosophy and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Consider these suggestions for Purpose Beyond Performance Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 10 - 1. Quality time with a friend is a priority for me. 2. Being part of a “team” energizes me. 3. Standing up for “what’s right” is a motivation for me. 4. Making a positive impact with those less fortunate is important for me. 5. Being a mentor /coach to others has given my life significant meaning. 6. Supporting others in their goals and dreams would be typical of me. 7. Giving to family and friends would be observed as a life priority for me. 8. “Doing life” with others means more to me than getting things accomplished. 9. Contributing my gifts and talents in meaningful teamwork is important. 10. Passing along worthwhile values and character gives life meaning. 11. I’m often concerned about and moved to care for those in need. 12. Supporting and encouraging others’ success is a priority for me. 13. Offering practical help to those in my life is a joy for me. 14. Connecting with helping and serving shapes my priorities and choices. 15. Listening to and knowing others gives life meaning and joy. 16. Seeing my group or team succeed is more important than my success. 17. Being known for my beliefs and convictions is significant to me. 18. My heart is often moved by people’s pain, tragedy, and injustice. 19. Spending time equipping or training others brings me fulfillment. 20. Investing my time and resources serving others would be typical for me. 21. Gratefully sharing of my time, friends, and resources is an important priority. 22. Life meaning for me is not found in what I acquire or accomplish, but rather in how I relate to others. 23. Doing life in community with others is essential to life fulfillment. 24. “Who” I am as expressed through my character and identity is more important than my accomplishments. 25. Expressing compassion in practical, caring ways is typical for me. 26. “Success is not success without a successor”, would describe my priorities. 27. “Only when others succeed do I succeed”, would describe my priorities. 28. Benefitting others motivates me. Assess each statement by checking the column indicating how “true” it is of you. 1. Not True 2. Infrequently True 3. Somewhat True 4. Often True 5. Very True Name Age Top 3 Relational Needs: Employed Full Time Employed Part Time Not currently employed Student Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People Purpose Assessment
- 11 - © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Session 1 People #1 #8 #15 #22 Total Teamwork #2 #9 #16 #23 Total Values #3 #10 #17 #24 Total Compassion #4 #11 #18 #25 Total Mentoring #5 #12 #19 #26 Total Serving #6 #13 #20 #27 Total Purpose Assessment Scoring Add up your responses corresponding to each question to find the totals related to each purpose. Generosity #7 #14 #21 #28 Total 1. What were your two highest totals? Which purposes do they represent? 2. How do you currently find ways to express these purposes at work? Outside of work? “Legacy building—what we leave behind—should start on the first day of your career, if not sooner. The ability to impact others doesn’t have to be a second thought. Developing yourself and contributing to others are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I would argue that they are mutually inclusive The best way to gauge your personal leadership effectiveness is to simply look around you and see if you are uplifting others.” —Smith (2014) Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 12 - Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People
- 13 - © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection Session 1 Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People The 3 Things Employees Really Want: Career, Community, Cause MANAGING PEOPLE The 3 Things Employees Really Want: Career, Community, Cause by Lori Goler, Janelle Gale, Brynn Harrington, and Adam Grant FEBRUARY 20, 2018 JORG GREUEL/GETTY IMAGES Strike up a conversation about work values, and it won’t be long before someone brings up a pyramid — a famous psychologist’s best-known theory. Abraham Maslow’s big idea was that we all have a hierarchy of needs: once our basic physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, we seek love and belongingness, then self-esteem and prestige, and finally self-actualization. But that pyramid was built more than half a century ago, and psychologists have recently concluded that it’s in need of renovation. When you review the evidence from the past few decades of social science, it’s hard to argue with Maslow’s starting point. If your basic needs aren’t met, it’s hard to focus on anything else. If you have a job that doesn’t pay enough, and you’re up all night worrying aboutsurvival, chances are you won’t spend much time dwelling on self-actualization. 10/4/2018 Scan QR code to read the article on your phone. Strike up a conversation about work values, and it won’t be long before someone brings up a pyramid — a famous psychologist’s best-known theory. Abraham Maslow’s big idea was that we all have a hierarchy of needs: once our basic physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, we seek love and belongingness, then self-esteem and prestige, and finally self-actualization. But that pyramid was built more than half a century ago, and psychologists have recently concluded that it’s in need of renovation. When you review the evidence from the past few decades of social science, it’s hard to argue with Maslow’s starting point. If your basic needs aren’t met, it’s hard to focus on anything else. If you have a job that doesn’t pay enough, and you’re up all night worrying about survival, chances are you won’t spend much time dwelling on self-actualization. But Maslow built his pyramid at the dawn of the human relations movement, when so many workplaces in the manufacturing economy didn’t have basic physiological and safety needs covered. Today more companies are operating in knowledge and service economies. They’re not just fulfilling basic needs; they’re aiming to fulfill every need, providing conveniences like meals and gyms, and competing to be the best places to work (from 1984 through 2011, those that won outperformed their peers on stock returns by 2.3% to 3.8% per year). In those environments, survival isn’t in question.
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 14 - Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People And once you get past that layer of the pyramid, the rest of it falls apart. People don’t need to be loved before they strive for prestige and achievement. And they don’t wait for those needs to be fulfilled before pursuing personal growth and self-expression. If Maslow were designing his pyramid from scratch today to explain what motivates people at work, beyond the basics, what would it look like? That’s a question we set out to answer at Facebook, in collaboration with our people analytics team. We survey our workforce twice a year, asking what employees value most. After examining hundreds of thousands of answers over and over again, we identified three big buckets of motivators: career, community, and cause. Career is about work: having a job that provides autonomy, allows you to use your strengths, and promotes your learning and development. It’s at the heart of intrinsic motivation. Community is about people: feeling respected, cared about, and recognized by others. It drives our sense of connection and belongingness. Cause is about purpose: feeling that you make a meaningful impact, identifying with the organization’s mission, and believing that it does some good in the world. It’s a source of pride. These three buckets make up what’s called the psychological contract — the unwritten expectations and obligations between employees and employers. When that contract is fulfilled, people bring their whole selves to work. But when it’s breached, people become less satisfied and committed. They contribute less. They perform worse. In the past, organizations built entire cultures around just one aspect of the psychological contract. You could recruit, motivate, and retain people by promising a great career or a close-knit community or a meaningful cause. But we’ve found that many people want more. In our most recent survey, more than a quarter of Facebook employees rated all three buckets as important. They wanted a career and a community and a cause. And 90% of our people had a tie in importance between at least two of the three buckets. Wondering whether certain motivators would jump out for particular people or places, we broke the data down by categories. We started with age. There’s a lot of talk about how different Millennials are from everyone else, but we found that priorities were strikingly similar across age groups.
- 15 - © 2022 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU BaU Resource Collection Session 1 Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People Contrary to the belief that Millennials are more concerned with meaning and purpose, we found that younger people cared slightly less about cause — and slightly more about career—than older people. In fact, people ages 55 and above are the only group at Facebook who care significantly more about cause than about career and community. This tracks with evidence that around mid-life, people become more concerned about contributing to society and less focused on individual career enhancement. But overall, the differences between age groups were tiny. And that’s not just true at Facebook. In a nationally representative study of Americans across generations, Millennials, Baby Boomers, and Gen Xers had the same core work values—and tended to rank them in the same order of importance. As we’ve said before, Millennials want essentially the same things as the rest of us. We also didn’t see any major differences by level, or by performance reviews: people valued these three motivators whether they were exceeding, meeting, or falling short of expectations. And when we compared office locations, it was clear that career, community, and cause were all prized around the globe. Finally, we turned to function. “If it weren’t for the people,” Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “the world would be an engineer’s paradise.” Survey says: false. Our engineers care a lot about community, giving it an average rating of 4.18 on a 1-5 scale. And just as we saw with age and location, across functions people rated career, community, and cause as similarly important. “To know what one really wants,” Maslow argued, “is a considerable psychological achievement.” Our data suggest that people are very clear on what they want at work—and they fundamentally want the same things. When it comes to an ideal job, most of us are looking for a career, a community, and a cause. These are important motivators whether you’re 20 or 60, working in engineering or sales, in Luleå or São Paulo or Singapore or Detroit. We’re all hoping to find a what, a who, and a why.
Session 1 © 2023 Relational Values Alliance—from the BaU Resource Collection - 16 - https://hbr.org/2018/02/people-want-3-things-from-work-but-most-companies-are-built-around-only-one ggppy— and they fundamentally want the same things. When it comes to of us are looking for a career, a community, and a cause. These are motivators whether you’re 20 or 60, working in engineering or salePaulo or Singapore or Detroit. We’re all hoping to find a what, a whLori Goleris the head of People at Facebook. Janelle Gale is the head of HR Business Partners at Facebook. Brynn Harrington leads the People Growth team at Facebook. Adam Grantis a professor at Wharton and the author of Originals and Give and Take. Related Topics: MOTIVATING PEOPLE | PSYCHOLOGY This article is about MANAGING PEOPLE FOLLOW THIS TOPIC Comments Leave a Comment REPLY 26 COMMENTS Abdelrahman Ghanem 5 months ago Do Older workers care more about meaning because they are older?? Is it because they are more mature then that's why they care about meaning. interesting to see how these older group will answer these questions when they started their career. POSTING GUIDELINES We hope the conversations that take place on HBR.org will be energetic, constructive, and thought-provoking. To comment, readers must sign in or register. And to ensure the quality of the discussion, our moderating team will review all comments length, and relevance. Comments that are overly promotional, mean-spirited, or off-topic may be deleted per the moderators' judgment. All postings become the property of Harvard Business Publishing. JOIN THE CONVERSATION Session 1 Begin by Truly Knowing People Lori Goler is the head of People at Facebook. Janelle Gale is the head of HR Business Partners at Facebook. Brynn Harrington leads the People Growth team at Facebook. Adam Grant is a professor at Wharton and the author of Originals and Give and Take.