Great Job Means Great Life: And It’s All About the Managers, “No other single factor even comes close!”
Creating a population of engaged workers would not only improve our economy and national prosperity, it likely would also solve the political malaise that disaffects our younger population and contributes to millennial’s growing interest in an alternative political system, like socialism, according to a recent article by the Wall Street Journal. After all “if you have a bad boss and a purposeless job, you might conclude that whatever this system is, it doesn’t work for me,” the article postulates in a quote from the CEO of the Gallup organization (Jim Clifton).
According to the article, again citing Gallup data, the priorities of Americans have changed since people started comparing their lives on social media. Historically people ranked family, having children, owning a home and living in peace ahead of having a good jog. Today, Gallup found, having a rewarding job ranks first.
“Put simply, having a great job means having a great life,” the article concludes.
Now that would make America great again! Imagine the majority of our population waking up on Monday mornings with a sense that they have a great life. And to think this positive euphoria would accelerate under a political system perceived by the majority to actually work for them, representing their most critical needs and priorities.
Far fetched? Maybe or maybe not.
After all, it’s not the laws of physics that limit our population of happy workers to only 30%. According to Gallup and the Wall Street Journal “managers … explain the full 70% variance.” In other words, if our nation’s managers and leaders were chosen based on their capacity to create an engaging culture (in business or society), that difference, by itself, would transform our nation.
That deserves emphasis: we have an opportunity to transform our nation, beginning by scoring new highs on our collective happiness meter!
Our call to action then, is to prioritize the development and placement of leaders who understand how to create a culture of engagement. This imperative is why I wrote the book Fusion Leadership Unleashing The Movement of Monday Morning Enthusiasts and this is also the purpose of this blog and this website. These writings attempt to provide a practical, real-world “tool box” to help leaders at all stages better understand how to build an organizational culture that engages, “fusing” their teams together.
I am grateful to see the Wall Street Journal joining with the Gallup organization and others in taking up this transformational topic.