When I was an undergraduate at the University of Virginia (UVA), I took a career planning course (taught by Dr. Margot Baker) that changed the trajectory of my life. In the course, one of the assignments was to write our own obituary. Some classmates thought it was a morbid assignment, but once we delved into it, we realized that it truly helped us define ourselves and our values.  

For my assignment, I wrote about having a family, doing community work, and starting and operating my own business. At that time, I already had a small business, Suidees Cards. Suidees cards were designed and drawn by a UVA student, with UVA colors, slogans, and mascots and sold around the campus. During that time, before social media and texting, college students sent cards to their parents and grandparents. The business was fun! Suidees cards helped me segue into starting Concordia Consulting 32 years ago.

All these years later, when a client comes to me and says their workplace culture is toxic, or their employee performance is sub par, I draw from the obituary assignment. I ask employees, “What do you want people to say about you when you leave your organization? How do you want to be remembered?” Like my instructor Margot, I delve deep into the person and the workplace culture.

For many, they have not connected what they want said about them with their own actions and behaviors. If they say, “I can’t get out of here fast enough!”, we help them create an exit plan. Sometimes they answer with, “My manager this, or my manager that.” While that may be true, no one wants to be remembered by how their manager behaved. Conversely, one very centered and mature man answered with, “Regardless of what happens in my department, I want to be remembered for my leadership, having a strong work ethic, and bringing value to my customers.”

According to Abraham Maslow, in the hierarchy of needs, belonging and accomplishment are basic human needs. When we say to ourselves or others, “it’s just a paycheck,” we are denying ourselves of our basic needs.  

I worked with a group of bookkeepers and accountants years ago and I was unsure how this program would work for them. I apologize, but at that time I didn’t see a lot of value in accounting. The group quickly showed me the light. One said, “I do taxes for individuals so they can have less stress and spend more time with their friends and families.” Another said, “I help small businesses develop and grow.” One remarked, “I save seniors money as they transition to different living arrangements so their final years are more comfortable.” Wow! This group understood their value to society and made me even more appreciative of my bookkeeper and accountant.

Leaders, if you want to create a workplace culture that fosters employee engagement and performance, remember this: when employees connect with their passion, it’s great for the culture, the team, and the employee. Remind everyone of how their work contributes to the organization’s goals. 

Whether it’s the obituary assignment or thinking about what got us to the work we are doing in the first place, reconnecting with our “why” always helps. Whether you work part time or full, remote or in person, we devote a lot of hours to our jobs, so it’s important to create meaning through our work. All of us have days where we are tired or lack passion, but if you have a team who has lost their passion, lost their verve, or is feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, our program will help.