meQuilibrium research performed with 2000 employed adults showed a consistent and statistically significant correlation between high levels of purpose and connection to work and high levels of resilience.
As I write this, the federal government’s partial shutdown has caused 420,000 “essential workers” to show up on the job without receiving their regular paychecks. Another 380,000 were sent home on unpaid leave two weeks ago. Until a divided government reopens, these 800,000 employees will work or wait, virtually powerless to change their situation.
Politics aside, imagine a TSA agent working at an airport last week—dealing with the holiday rush, staying engaged and polite to stressed-out travelers, wondering how she’ll pay the electric bill, health insurance or student loans that came due January 2 (40 percent of Americans can’t pay a $400 emergency expense). She can’t force the government to pay her but has to stay at work. How will she manage through this, staying focused, calm and productive, not succumbing to extreme stress and emotional turmoil?
For government employees, this shutdown is a hyper-serious situation, rarely rivaled in the corporate sector. But for business people, it’s also a metaphor for times we can feel powerless, not in control but committed to keep going in tough, stressful conditions.
In studies of resilient behaviors, we see that there are three levels of connection to work—three primary reasons that people show up and are motivated to keep going: the pay and benefits, the people and relationships and the sense of purpose they feel in doing the job. The last level of connection—your purpose—derives from the feeling that what you do every day makes a critical difference to the organization, to the team around them and to the customer. The science is very clear: People who feel a sense of purpose are far more able to manage through hardship and turmoil, stress, bad conditions, you name it, than those who show up just for the pay or for the social connections. In fact, military, first responders and government workers consistently score higher on that sense of purpose than others.
How will you manage when you and your team must keep going but are powerless to change a big problem? In today’s business environment of constant disruption, I guarantee it’s going to happen. Market forces will derail your expansion plans; the regulatory environment will change; your biggest customer will have to cut spending, your largest investor goes under.
In all of these situations, how you react determines your survival. Here are three life hacks to help you and your team weather the storm. Best to start honing these skills before they are essential for your survival.
Develop Your Sense of Purpose
Before a crisis hits, work to develop a sense of purpose in your work. A global LinkedIn study showed that purpose-oriented people are more motivated and satisfied at their jobs. When money is tight or work relationships change (as team’s form and break up), your sense of purpose can sustain you psychologically.