I became aware of the call of meaning in our organizational lives when I worked with a number of incoherent companies that had been tipped into chaos by reorganizations or leveraged buyouts. They had lost any purpose beyond the basic struggle to survive. Yet under these circumstances, I saw some employees who continued to work hard and contribute to the organization even when the organization could offer them nothing, not even the promise of a job in the future. Most employees had, more predictably, checked out psychologically, just putting in their time, waiting for the inevitable. But others stayed creative and focused on creating new services, even with the great uncertainty of the future. This puzzled me greatly.

I assumed at first that they were simply denying reality. But when I talked to these employees, it became evident that something else much more important was going on. They were staying creative, making sense out of non-sense, because they had taken the time to create a meaning for their work, one that transcended present organizational circumstances. They wanted to hold onto motivation and direction in the midst of turbulence, and the only way they could do this was by investing the current situation with meaning.

I have also seen companies make deliberate use of meaning to move through times of traumatic change. I’ve seen leaders make great efforts to speak forthrightly and frequently to employees about current struggles, about the tough times that lie ahead, and about what they dream of for the future. These conversations fill a painful period with new purpose, giving reasons for the current need to sacrifice and hold on. In most cases, given this kind of meaningful information, workers respond with allegiance and energy.

All of us want so much to know the “why’ of what is going on. (How often have you heard yourself or others say, “I just wish they would tell me why we’re doing this”?) We instinctively reach out to leaders who work with us on creating meaning. Those who give voice and form to our search for meaning, and who help us make our work purposeful, are leaders we cherish, and to whom we return gift for gift.