Millenials Part Three – Discovering Meaning in Life and Work

Junior Military Officers come to my firm, Cameron-Brooks, to seek help in finding their next careers after transitioning from active service. They often tell me their goal is to find meaningful and worthwhile work. This search criterion has increased with the coming of age of the Millennial Generation (born after 1980) in the workplace. The frequency of this request has caused me to explore the ideas around “meaningful work.”

In his book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts, Alex Pattakos writes about the application of Viktor Frankl’s principles for discovering meaning in our daily life and work.  The foreword is written by Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and one of the most frequently-read books on the Cameron-Brooks recommended reading list. Covey writes in the introduction about how deeply Frankl’s work and book, Man’s Search for Meaning impacted his life. Covey also writes about something that is a fundamental part of Frankl’s philosophy of finding meaning in our life and work. There is a moment in time that is uniquely human. It is that space that lies between stimulus and response. “In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”  Although I may have no control over the stimuli that enter my life (my recent canceled business flight for example),  I do have total control over my response and my attitude. Sometimes finding meaning in our work requires a shift in attitude. Like the young shepherd in Paul Coelho’s book, The Alchemist, sometimes we find the destination of our journey close to home – perhaps, even within ourselves. My challenge to you is to look at your current work and find the meaning in what you do. Remind those with whom you work of the meaning they bring to you, themselves and others.

When you look for a new career opportunity, place more emphasis on the intrinsic meaning of the work than extrinsic considerations like starting salary and location. Make a list of the factors that bring meaning to you and allow you to live your life within the values that define you. Use the list as a guide in the journey towards your new career, and your destination will be meaningful and worthwhile work.

Steve Sosland

Millennials – The Search for Worthwhile Work

One of my favorite Buddhist quotes is, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”  I have found that the more willing I am to be a student the more teachers I will find. I wrote an earlier blog titled, “The Alchemist and the JMO” where I told the story of traveling to Germany on a recruiting trip last December and having two Cameron-Brooks candidates (two of my “teachers”) recommend I read The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. One also recommended I read, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. These recommendations came from JMOs who are members of the Millennial Generation – born after 1980. During recent trips, when I interview junior military officers who are considering transitioning to corporate America through the Cameron-Brooks Development & Preparation Program©, I have heard an increasing desire to find worthwhile and meaningful work in their next career. Sometimes this desire leads JMOs to only consider other government service sector careers. Some assume that selfless service is common only to those who wear a uniform. Certainly we are indebted to all who serve the public in uniform. I believe selfless service and meaningful work is also found in hundreds of private companies in a wide variety of industries.

The issue is complex and requires research and a broad career search. I also think it requires self-insight. Meaningful work to some may focus on the quality of products or services a company provides. To others it may be working with people of their ilk. In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins writes that one characteristic of great companies is the belief that getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus is more important than where the bus is going. The deeper question for an individual is, “How can I find meaning in my work?” Viktor Frankl developed his philosophy of logotherapy during his years as a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps. He observed that a common characteristic of those who survived the camps was awareness that their life had meaning to someone else. In one case he gives the example of reminding a man contemplating suicide that he had a daughter waiting safely for him in another country who was counting on him to live. Having this meaning to his life allowed the man to dig deeper within himself and survive his suffering. We can all look within ourselves and our current work to find meaning in what we do. Who is counting on us? Who benefits from the product of our labor? One easy to read book on the subject is, Gung Ho, by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. The book tells the story of a manufacturing manager and former active duty U.S. Marine who instills the notion of worthwhile work in his team. The lesson is broadly applicable in many companies and gives those searching for worthwhile and meaningful work a way to evaluate possible career opportunities.

Steve Sosland