Does is it ever happen to you that you find yourself working at one big multinational company, awesome spirit around with extremely cooperative teammates, a very competitive range of a paycheck in your bank account each month and a successful inspiring leader above of you ready to develop you right into his/her own place, yet, every single day you have a struggle getting off bed and to work, every day you finish work feeling recognized for your impressive efforts and results but on a side note not feeling content? Some people wonder why and others choose living in the vortex, consuming their minds at their work instead of their hearts.
I met very few people who were fully content about their jobs despite the name of their company, the paycheck they receive each month, the culture around or the type of their manager. These people had a hidden motive driving them out of bed very enthusiastically every single day. These people were working for a purpose; actualization, a purpose they’re so passionate about. These people had a strong sense of purpose and direction. These people are seeking something beyond a paycheck and a good manager. These people are seeking fulfillment through self-actualization and their self-actualization is pursued through actualizing a purpose they are passionate about.
The most popular motivation theory is that of Maslow, in which he based human drivers according to a hierarchy of the human needs, where it starts at the bottom with the basic physiological needs like food and shelter, then going up in the hierarchy we find safety, love and belonging, esteem and finally at the peak of the hierarchy we find “self-actualization”. Maslow offers the following description of self-actualization:
“It refers to the person’s desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially.
The specific form that these needs will take will, of course, vary greatly from person to person. In one individual it may take the form of the desire to be an ideal mother, in another it may be expressed athletically, and in still another it may be expressed in painting pictures or in inventions.” (Maslow, 1943, p. 382–383).
(Reference: http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html).
From an HR perspective, I wonder when we’ll include PASSION in our hiring criteria, before interpersonal or technical skills and previous experience! How can’t we be seeing that passion is the top value an employee mostly needs in his job, mostly needs to grow, mostly needs, above all, to stay?! When can we see that passion is the lost opportunity? That the gap between an above-expectations performance and super extraordinary performance is passion? Having an employee who is crazy about what they’re doing is a value we need to extend into our HR policies. Instead of having “Passion for results” or “Consumer Obsession” in frames hanging on walls, it’s time to bring in and create within the passion of our employees and then results and consumers’ satisfaction will be automatically leveraged. That sense of purpose and passion will only be driven from a company’s mission and vision if the employee finds his dream and passion in them. We should be hiring more people who believe in our missions as companies because their passion goes along with it, not because they have to. At that time, employees won’t be leaving just for a higher pay check another company got to offer, nor for a company that is closer to where they live.
The only ones who are capable of turning around wheels are those who have a strong sense of purpose that they’re passionate about and who work for self-actualization. Add just one more question in your interview, in your performance appraisal discussion or in your exit interview; “What are you passionate about? What is your purpose?” and let the answers guide you towards “the right person in the right place”. Understanding the human evolvement through the current age the world is living, humans are becoming more self-aware, self-directed, and self-loving. Priorities of the humankind are changing and the way we mentally and psychologically operate is evolving with time. Less and less people are seeking safety with an employer and seek to start their own business to actualize the purpose they’re passionate about, and we as Human resources need to be aware of these changes and evolve with it. Otherwise we’re becoming robot resources managers instead of human resources managers.
By: Marwa Fakher
Photography: Mohamed Sherif El Dib
Instagram: @mohamedeldib
EDITOR: Sarah Shalaby