Transcript

Christine

Welcome to Incite Brilliance, the podcast looking at everything related to internal communication and employee engagement. Season one is all about being culturally curious. Today’s episode is all about finding purpose in our work, and in particular, nurturing the kind of culture in the workplace that makes it easy for people to find their ‘why’. I’m Christine and I’m joined by Kirsty from H&H. Hi, Kirsty.

Kirsty

Hello.

Christine

And first of all, it’s interesting that we’re doing this particular topic because at H&H we use an amazing profiling tool called PRINT®. And you and I both have a profile that means that we’re motivated by the search for meaning.

Kirsty

Absolutely. Yeah. So PRINT® is our, unique and proprietary profiling tool, which you’ve said and you may have done other kind of profiling tools, Myers Briggs, or Insights. So PRINT® doesn’t just say what you do. It explains why you do it. So you’re absolutely right. We share a principle which is to be special and find meaning in life. Which sounds very profound, doesn’t it? But I think when I was invited to, you know, talk on this podcast, it was actually: what do I feel really passionate about?

And that’s something that is a personal driver to me. And I know that we share that too. So it just felt like the natural subject for you and I to discuss today.

Christine

Yeah, that’s great because it’s not just about what you care about, but why not give me a reason to care?

Kirsty

Totally. And I feel really grateful that I work at H&H, because it’s somewhere that I fully believe in kind of why we exist, our purpose, what we’re all about.

And I think because of that, I inject that into the work that we do because I love working with organisations that are purpose led, that have a really strong purpose. And I think that makes such a difference, not just for our project work and the ideas that we bring, but for the employees as well. Because once you’ve got that purpose and you can connect to something bigger, it sounds really cheesy, but you have got that reason to get out of bed on a morning.

So you do your best work. I don’t believe anybody wants to ever do a bad job, you know? And no one wants to feel bored at work. So if you give a really clear purpose, a really clear ‘why’ and one that’s motivational that people can connect with, then all the better, people will really feel inspired to do the very best work.

Christine

Yeah, I think I think we’re really lucky with a lot of clients. Maybe it’s the nature of what we do and how we do it, but we do get a lot of clients who do have quite a strong purpose, and they do have quite a strong ‘why’.

Kirsty

Yeah, even if they don’t always know it. And they need a bit of help teasing that out and putting it into some kind of form that they can then communicate to their people and help them to feel it totally.

Christine

And so to us success depends on people connecting.

Kirsty

Yeah, I mean organisations, they hire talent in the knowledge that people are the right people. You know, not necessarily a culture fit, but a culture add. What can somebody bring to the organisation? What’s missing from the culture? What strengths are you looking for?

So we can therefore show delivering on a strategy is in every single employee’s power, you know, everybody has that ability to make an organisation really, really successful. I always think of it as links in a chain. So if you’re, I don’t know, in a finance department and you go, well, I don’t fulfil that purpose. I can’t play a part in that purpose. It’s our role as communicators to say, you absolutely can. It’s well within your gift because without you paying an invoice, I don’t know, paying wages, people can’t be out doing X, Y, and Z. You are an important link in the chain, and without you we cannot fulfil our purpose. We cannot achieve what we’re setting out to achieve. So that’s how you find meaning in your role then, because the success of everything that we do depends on people connecting with a strategy, understanding it, investing in it, and knowing that they can make a difference.

Christine

Yeah, absolutely. Could you give an example of where this has been really, really powerful?

Kirsty

So one of our clients in the pharmaceutical space, they’ve got a very strong ‘why’ cos it’s patients, you know. So they are already very fortunate that actually they’ve got something very emotive to draw upon. So on a particular project that we worked on, colleague feedback, they uncovered that through employee surveys, manager conversations, Q&A sessions, it all highlighted that while top level objectives of the strategy were largely understood, colleagues actually in some functions in some geographies, because they’re a global client of ours, they were really struggling to grasp kind of the finer details or actually see how they could play their part. So our objective, it was really simple. We wanted to emotionally connect colleagues to their core purpose and show how their strategy would help the client realise it. I mean, emotions, we know don’t we, they grab attention. They make you feel something. It stirs something up inside you. So it automatically, if you can use emotion in the right way, definitely authentically, it sparks interest. It shifts perceptions. It lights up that limbic system in our brain, doesn’t it? So that’s the area responsible for motivation and emotional behaviour. So tapping into emotion is proven to create a sense of relevance, to create a sense of urgency. And that will drive people to take action. So it’s a perfect way to get people excited and invested in a strategy because we’re motivating them to shift their thinking, their behaviours, all with, you know, the view that they can play their part in delivering on ambitions and ultimately realising that core purpose.

Christine

Yeah, I think that’s great. It also strikes me that there’s a real element of pride in there as well, helping people to feel pride in everything they do. There’s that cheesy old story about the cleaner at NASA saying, ‘I’m helping put a man on the moon, Mr President.’ And it’s a well-trodden story, but that’s because it really gets to the core of what it’s all about, doesn’t it?

Kirsty

That’s it. Finding that link, that emotional link that makes me want to boast about helping to deliver this higher purpose. Absolutely.

Christine

And with the client example. There we’re talking about pharmaceuticals. We’re talking about life saving therapies, talking about the patients who desperately need them. You’d have to begin by considering how to immerse people in the nuts and bolts of the strategy, what it all meant, how it all fitted together. How did you do that?

Kirsty

So you’re absolutely right. I mean, that’s critically important as well. I mean, people have to understand that strategy. So we did activities that would inform, that would educate, that would inspire them to see their role in success. I think what this particular programme did was just take that to a next level. So not just say what we’re doing and how we’re going to do it, but actually, why are we doing it?

And it’s so easy in the day to day when you’re doing project work, you know, when you’re sort of just getting into the rhythm and routine, it’s so easy to forget that higher ‘why’. And I really feel like if you can keep that out at the forefront, keep remembering why you’re doing something, it makes all the difference.

Christine

I mean, that’s absolutely right. Going back to the cleaner at NASA, you can’t fulfil this bigger purpose and you know the strategic goals without everybody playing that part. It just can’t happen. You can’t just have the people doing the high-profile jobs without the people keeping things running smoothly. So how do you reach those people then, who are maybe not doing the highest profile roles, not the ones that are most obviously connected to the strategy? How do you grab their attention?

Kirsty

I think it’s to help everyone find their place. So to help everyone find what’s their part in the culture, what can they contribute? What are your strengths? It’s not necessarily telling people this is the way to think, feel and behave. It’s allowing that culture for people to be curious. Very apt, isn’t it? The name of the series of the podcast. But it is allowing people to feel curious. What can I do? What skills and strengths can I bring to ensure that I am making a positive, meaningful difference in my work? And that to me is really exciting. That is, I mean, we’ve talked about it. That is one of our drivers, isn’t it?

But that is something that genuinely I couldn’t work somewhere that I didn’t believe in what we’re doing. It wouldn’t align to my values. It wouldn’t feel genuine. I think I have to really believe in something. I couldn’t talk about something confidently or authentically if I didn’t believe in it. So to work for H&H with such a strong purpose, to work with organisations and clients and partners that have that similar passion for what they do, that really excites me.

And I think I love the challenge of sometimes when people can’t find that link themselves to their purpose, to the bigger ‘why’, to the meaning. That’s the best kind of challenge, because we can do that. We can absolutely find that link for somebody. As I said, you know, working in a finance department, you think, well, I don’t know anything about a patient profile. Yes. But without you paying someone’s invoice, paying a wage, you know, they can’t go out and do their job, you know, and it’s allowing people to see where they fit and what they can add, more importantly. And so the way to do this is through culture, the culture that you’ve got in your organisation.

A culture is often defined as a system of shared assumptions, values and beliefs. They’re all term in the way that people behave. And every organisation has a culture, whether it’s come about as a result of a methodical effort to build it or not. You know, there is always a culture there. So why not shape a culture that allows for trust, transparency, you know, an environment that really showcases all of the brilliant values and behaviours that will allow people to succeed?

Christine

Yeah, maybe also the different ways that people will make an emotional connection to the ‘why’ of the organisation so they can find their own purpose. Do you think that’s important, to meet people where they are?

Kirsty

Absolutely, because it’s got to be authentic. You can’t be told ‘this is your purpose and this is what you should believe’.

Christine

And you know, some try.

Kirsty

Well, this is true, but every individual needs to make that connection appropriate to them. So it’s got to be authentic. It’s this sort of connection on a human level. You know, why is this important for you? This is our purpose. But what does that mean for you?

So going back to the pharmaceutical example where patients are the other ‘why’, everybody has been a patient, knows a patient, everyone will have a very personal link to that. And a very personal reason as to why they joined the organisation in the first place. Yes, it’s under that shared collective purpose, that statement. But you will have your reason why you joined the organisation. And I think it’s allowing people to be well, it’s reminding people of the purpose, but allowing them to find that connection to it.

Christine

And it’s way above and beyond just needing to do a job to make money, although that is, that’s the main driver. Most people have a job, but how often do hear about somebody who gave up some corporate job, some really high-flying career so they can go and build dry-stone walls, for example, because they wanted to connect and they need to find a meaning and an emotional connection.

Kirsty

Yeah. And I think that’s happened more and more, hasn’t it? Post-pandemic I think that was a period of reflection, and this is very clichéd, but it was a period of reflection for a lot of people to assess. Actually, what is important to me, what drives me, what do I want to do in this life? You know, because any time you’re right, there’s an economic factor, of course there is, at work. But any time you’re at work, you’re away from family, you’re away from friends. It’s something for you to do. And if you don’t enjoy that, and if you don’t find meaning in that, then that’s pretty soul destroying. I’ve never not had that. So for me, it’s something that I’m very passionate to show people.

It is possible if you can align with your values and you can find an organisation that you really believe in. It’s very powerful, it’s very motivational, and it will allow you to do your absolute best work. I feel like your career can completely flourish if all of those things are aligned, and it is very possible. This sounds very lofty and I think we’re making it sound quite lofty, but it’s actually really simple. It’s just be really passionate about what you do, you know, really believe in a ‘why’, find your own if you don’t feel like you can find it in the organisation for your own sort of integrity, for your own satisfaction, make the ‘why’ present. That’s really quite uplifting and inspiring to listen to, you make your own reasons.

Christine

And also it comes back to the culture, doesn’t it? And having that culture that not just enables that freedom to work in a way that helps you discover your meaning, but also encourages it, nurtures and gets it fired up as well.

Kirsty

Yeah. So help everyone find their place, help them on to be part of a culture that allows people to play to their strengths, to connect to something bigger. That’s our that’s our role, isn’t it? That’s to foster that, encourage that and allow that to be.

Christine

And so as you’ve said already, we do work with some fantastic organisations that really know the importance of connecting people to that ‘why’, and helping them to find their personal why in the midst of all that, what happens when you’ve got an organisation where people are very much switched off, they’re dejected? They’re brow beaten, they’ve had some maybe some difficult times as an organisation and people are just fed up. Where do you start with that? How do you help people to find their ‘why’?

Kirsty

It has to start from the top. It has to be something that is authentic that I think there’s, you know, you’d have to dig into that a bit more, wouldn’t you? But I certainly think that if you can address it, if you can speak to people, ask people you know, have a conversation about it, not bury your head in the sand from it. If that’s evident, it’s there for a reason. So if you can uncover what that’s all about and remind people, well, this is why we’re persevering. This is why we’re here. This is our relentless pursuit. And if a leader can role-model those behaviours, those values, never lose sight of that, I think it’s evident, isn’t it, when something isn’t actually believed in, you know, it doesn’t feel authentic. But if we if we ask our leaders to maintain their belief, it’s quite contagious. And I think, I mean, Hannah and Helen are super inspiring. They’ve never lost sight of the culture that kind of formed as part of nature right from the beginning.

Christine

That’s the founders.

Kirsty

Yeah, the founders of H&H. Sorry. Yeah. The two founders of H&H, I think that spirit permeates H&H. And it’s never gone, you know, through challenging times, through great times. It’s there always. And so for me, it’s to keep that at the core at the centre.

Christine

Do you think leaders sometimes need to be quite courageous in tackling this kind of thing and actually potentially opening a can of worms by asking people what the problem is, basically, so they can tackle it?

Kirsty

Yeah. Not shying away from it for sure. I mean, employee voices, it’s telling you something about the health of the organisation, you know, from the inside. So you’re not going to advocate about an organisation if you’re not feeling great, you know, and that’s going to run through anything and everything. So for sure, tackle it, speak to people. Don’t ignore it or shy away. That’s telling you something very important.

So PRINT® we’ve mentioned print before, a profiling tool which is unique to H&H [in the UK]. So you can uncover a lot about what’s going on for people, what their motivations are, what’s their driver, what’s not being satisfied, and what needs to be satisfied. What can we dial up and what needs to change? PRINT® is a really powerful tool actually to do that and to do it in a team environment as well.

You know, we have sessions for high-performing teams. What makes a high-performing team, what do you bring to that high-performing team? What does everybody add?

Christine

That goes back to what you’re saying about ‘culture add’ because it is, I’ve been quite sceptical about profiling tools before, but it was a bit of an eye opener. It’s a little bit spooky,  how accurate PRINT® turned out to be. But you’re right that it does help to form teams by bringing the add, the culture add into a team so that everybody can work. You’ve got all the right components there.

Kirsty

Yeah, we say not every great person is right for our organisation. Not every organisation is right for a great person. You know, there has to be… It’s not about fitting in, it’s about adding in. And that’s for me, it’s really something I came across and it’s stuck with me because it feels really, really powerful that you don’t fit into a culture – you bring something, you bring some of your personality, your energy, your ideas, your skills and expertise. The more you can do that, the more successful and happy and fulfilled you’ll feel at work.

Christine

So in terms of internal communication programmes or campaigns or however you want to call them, to keep the momentum going, these are not finite projects, are they?

Kirsty

No, no. Absolutely not. So to achieve sustainable momentum, I mean, it’s absolutely critical that it’s not viewed as a campaign, you know, the start and end date. Instead, it’s a way of working. It’s a way of being, feeling, thinking, doing that doesn’t start and stop. You know, the campaign doesn’t run from January to July and then, oh, that’s it actually, your purpose is through everything that you do. It’s just a reminder it’s always there. It’s something that exists. And I guess because there is such a personal emotional component in all of this, you’ve got to bring people on board, but also let them help steer it. Drive home passions. They’re personal, aren’t they? Like letting employees be the architects. You know, as a communicator, we’re there. We’re there to provide the right environment, to develop a really clear understanding of what’s meaningful to them, to employees. And that can be very, very different. But all under this umbrella of a shared purpose.

Christine

It’s been brilliant to talk today about finding not just what I care about at work, but why, and giving everybody a reason to come to work, creating the kind of culture that makes that possible. Being curious about what people are driven by and what resonates with them, and pulling it all together so that everybody can find their ‘why’. And that can only ever benefit a business, council or any kind of organisation. Thanks very much, Kirsty.

Kirsty

Thank you. It’s been really interesting. Thank you.