The Search for Meaning at Work

While recent studies have shown that companies with high levels of employee engagement have 40% less turnover, half the absenteeism rate, and double the net profit compared to companies with low engagement, many firms continue to struggle with engaging their employees, and a mass exodus in under way. Business leaders are unprepared to deliver the type of culture and leadership that infuses the work experience of their employees with purpose and meaning. No surprise that a recent Gallup survey showed that only 15% of employees consider themselves engaged in their work.

In The Search for Meaning at Work Steve Van Valin, an organizational culture consultant and former long-time executive with QVC, provides talent leaders and managers at all levels with a focused awareness and a robust set of actionable tools to meet the talent challenge head-on. Building on the research of Harvard professor Dr. Teresa Amabile and others, Van Valin’s model is based on eleven “Amplifiers of Meaning” that identify and describe the core purpose that gives work meaning. Without purpose, there is no meaning, Van Valin argues, and without meaning there is no true engagement. For many employees and their managers, the purpose that drives an employee’s motivation to work remains hidden; as a result, employees are disengaged, leaving managers and leaders frustrated as they search for answers.

Van Valin’s approach is a confident and creative challenge to leaders to think differently – with greater empathy for the power of purpose and meaning in people’s lives. Each chapter contains personal observations, revealing anecdotes, and a playbook, which provides specific and relevant actions/steps the reader can follow to amplify meaning in ways that inspire high-performance.

1. The book is anchored on providing specific actionable ideas to promote purpose and meaning. It is a practical guide, not just a philosophical work on a lofty subject.

2. No other book fully defines purpose and meaning and brings to light the dynamics between them. Doing so provides a high level of awareness for the reader that leads to the practical application of emotional intelligence when making the “everyday” better choices.

3. The book research, model, and actionable ideas are directly transferable as content for teaching the Amplify concept via classroom, online, and webinar delivery.

Steve Van Valin is currently CEO and founder of Culturology. His firm specializes in culture articulation, employee engagement, and high-performance collaboration. Some of his clients include NASA, The Philadelphia Phillies, SAP, Boeing, Lincoln Financial Group, Shire Pharmaceuticals, General Dynamics Information Technology, and Goodwill Industries. Steve led the culture at the multi-media shopping giant - QVC for fourteen years. He is also a talented keynote speaker known for sparking insights and inspiring action through an upbeat, positive, and creative style. Steve is a Vistage International certified speaker and is scheduled to be an IMS Series speaker in 2021. He lives in Chester Springs, PA outside of Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

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