Before you became a leader in your industry, did you ever feel that there was something missing? You probably reached that point when you wanted to quit your job. You weren’t certain what you were actually looking for, but you were sure that you didn’t want to stay where you are. This could be when you started wanting purpose-driven work.

Now that you’ve found the right space for yourself, how can you help your team find theirs in the tech environment you currently share? In an environment where the team members can be hard to find, the easiest threat to try and avoid is “go to grow” related attrition.

The Power at Hand: Understanding What Purpose-Driven Work Is 

In a Lenovo report on human-centered insights to fuel IT’s vision, they found that 75 percent of workers look for significance in their jobs. A flexible setup is at the top of the list of what your members seek, together with the right technology enablement for their position.

People want to join companies that are aligned with their values. For employers to keep up with the needs of their team, they need to show that their people matter.¹

Define: Finding Joy in the Tech Field

To find significance in the Tech Field, individuals need to identify where they feel the most significance for themselves. They will feel it in some combinations of these nine values:

• • • Achievement
    • Conservation
    • Caring
    • Freedom
    • Respect
    • Tradition
    • Enjoyment
    • Stability
    • Equality

To find joy in the tech field, your members must know why they want to be in the industry. Do they want to create something good for the people? Do they want to change something in the field? Do they want to be recognized for their success? Every answer must be sincere to them.

Be Familiar: Start with the Organization’s Purpose and Values

Look no further when it comes to driving significance in the office. Use your corporate purpose to define what your corporate social responsibility is. Sure, what is important to one person can be different from that of another, but knowing what values the team holds can give them an idea of how to align theirs with what is already established.

Be specific about what you want to do as a group. Ask your team what they want to personally achieve but can only be done with others. If they say they want to help the sick, you may want to provide hospitals and healthcare agencies with the best cybersecurity systems. If they want to pursue zero-waste and you’re in the field of industrial design, you can produce advanced cleaning or recycling devices.

Understand: What Your Employees Want and What You Can Provide

This is where you step in to provide their needs. To keep them happy working for you, meet them halfway. What they want may come in the form of benefits, higher salaries, a better balance between the office and personal life, or the fact that they can make an impact on the world.

77 percent of leaders in IT say that their people are becoming more focused on projects and tasks that provide positive solutions to society.

Listen to what each of them has to say and find what ideas are common among them. Use that as a starting point for developing benefits for your people.

Creating a Culture of Transformation and Longevity 

Transform the way you perform tasks together by finding meaning as a whole and as individuals. The space is yours to share and cultivate. It is important that you help one another because each of you is a part of one complex body.

Lead As an Example—with Care

Start with yourself. How you manage yourself starts with how you step up with care. Being an example isn’t about being at the office 24/7. It’s about knowing when to take charge and when to rest and let others do their best.

85 percent of executives and upper management said they were doing what they were meant to do at the office, but only 15 percent of frontline managers and staff agreed to this.³

Leadership isn’t about being available all the time, but knowing when you need to be. Micromanaging is a thing of the past. Allow space for mistakes that can be corrected through learning, so that your teams may feel a sense of ownership and satisfaction with their results. This enablement will help them build their confidence in what they’re doing.

Help People Be True to Themselves

Let them breathe at times when they feel anxious. Encourage them to ask for help when they are lost. Giving them the space to be okay can help them grow comfortably. They’ll know then that you have their backs.

As an employer, your job is to lead your staff members in taking their next steps. Taking the time to connect with your team members and ask questions is a meaningful approach that goes a long way to support job satisfaction.

Create Openings for Growing Comfortably

Helping your members grow includes mentorship, certifications, and training. Think of it this way: their growth affects the success of the business.

Support your team in keeping up with the “knowledge Joneses”. Since the field of tech is constantly innovating, training them to use new features and software programs may help. You may also want them to be certified for other relevant skills. You can provide them with the tools and training they need, or support them through education assistance for added learning. Having them join tech related organizations that align with their skills can be a fantastic way to create a community of support and mentors.

Allow Opportunities to Collaborate and to Inspire

Keep in mind that man is a social being, and your team is a network of many talented professionals. Encourage employee engagement through team building events or via task collaborations between teammates and/or different departments.

A web developer may collaborate with a graphic designer in creating a website. If you want to develop with people from outside the company, an example is a program developer partnering with an archer to create a virtual archery experience.

Lead Them Forward 

You think you’re already doing good, but the opportunity is always there for continuous improvement. Trust that you can be the best leader in a purpose-driven organization by being compassionate, assuming good intent and supporting actions that allow your team to be the best version of themselves.

FORM A TEAM WITH VALUES ALIGNED TO YOURS

On-Demand Group (ODG) is an IT consulting firm that has been serving the industry since 1996. We are experts in helping our partners build teams internally and externally.

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References

1 “Human-centered insights to fuel IT’s vision”. https://techtoday.lenovo.com/origind8/sites/default/files/2022-09/Smarter_Solutions_eBook.pdf . Accessed last March 29, 2023.

2 “Igniting individual purpose in times of crisis”. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/igniting-individual-purpose-in-times-of-crisis . Published last August 18, 2020. Accessed last March 29, 2023.

3 “Help your employees find purpose—or watch them leave”. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/help-your-employees-find-purpose-or-watch-them-leave . Published last April 5, 2021. Accessed last March 30, 2023.

4 “Does dim light make us dumber?” https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2018/does-dim-light-make-us-dumber . Published last February 5, 2018. Accessed last March 30, 2023.