Power of Meaning

In our book "Behave! How to get 100% of your workers fully engaged"  We talk about two very powerful and sustainable motivators.  One of those is Meaning.  Meaning is about behavior that has value to us personally.  It includes accomplishment, self-creation, problem solving, the sense of mastery, and doing good.  Whatever it is, it matters to us personally.

I use the example of my wife using Method cleaning products.  Method’s products are all environmentally friendly, no negative impact on the environment.  The packaging is all either fully biodegradable or recyclable.  And the product is effective.  The product makes meaning for my wife because it allows her to have a clean kitchen, bathroom, laundry while having no negative impact on the local landfill and no negative impact on the environment.  Personally she gets satisfaction from using method products.

Here Dan Ariely talks about Meaning an motivation/demotivation: