Simon Sinek is a complete game changer.
He was traveling for work and was staying at a Four Seasons hotel. While there he met a young man by the name of Noah. Noah had an infectious personality and a really great energy about him. Of course, Simon being who he is had to pose the question, ‘Do you love your job?’
Very quickly young Noah said he loved his job. The key word here is love. He didn’t say he ‘liked’ his job, he said he loved it.
It’s important to distinguish the difference between these two words that describe someone’s emotional experience towards something. When we hear the word ‘like’ it’s still a positive emotion but it’s a sense of general enjoyment. When we hear someone use the word ‘love’ that’s a pretty powerful word to be using. Loving something means you are passionate, committed, attached, there’s something deep down that brings pure joy and happiness. If you love something you want to protect it at all costs. If you like something, you can take it or leave it.
This was an opportunity for Simon to ask Noah what specifically it was about his workplace that had him confident enough to say he loved his job. Noah responded that throughout the day managers would walk past him and ask if there was anything he needed in order to do his job even better. That alone is amazing. But to really top it off, it wasn’t just Noah’s manager that would ask this, it was any manager that was working.
Noah said that he also had a second job and at that place of work, managers would walk around and try to catch the staff doing things wrong. They were focused solely on driving performance, not on supporting their people. In this workplace he wasn’t excited to go into work, he was just showing up and making it until the end of his shift.
At the job he loves, he feels he can genuinely show up as himself. This is someone who is able to feel and be their best when they walk through those doors. Someone who is truly energized and engaged, bringing more than just his time.
Through a simple question that Simon asked, we have two drastically different emotional connections and it’s the result of the workplace culture, it’s the result of the tone that the leadership team has set and the behaviours they demonstrate.
As leaders, we have to ask ourselves how can we develop a culture that allows people to feel joy, energy and engagement while at work? Leaders need to ask themselves, what is their role as a leader and how can they support building stronger emotional connections so that when someone asks them if they love their job, they can enthusiastically respond yes and provide clear reasoning to back up that statement.
A Team Human Conversation
Fight workplace zombies in your organization and join Team Human! Gather a group of fellow workplace zombie hunters to discuss our most recent blog post. Use the questions below to kick start your conversation.
How can we build strong emotional connections at work?
What conversations should we be having that we’re not having today?
How can we foster an environment where people feel safe and can operate at their best?
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