Organizations are facing more changes than ever. And it’s just not just change they’re facing, but a fundamental shift of power from employer to employee. With the competition for talent fierce, employee demands have never been greater.

That’s on top of the macro disruptors facing businesses of all sizes – such as supply chain, labor scarcity, and commodity volatility – as well as the industry-specific ones that have spared few businesses.

While that plays out in the background – or more often, foreground – we’re also telling employees on a regular basis that they need to be bolder. Shift their mindset. Be more agile. Think disruptively. Be leaner. Act in a more transformative fashion.

That’s a tall task. And it’s the reason that the answer for many organizations is consistent: “we need a change management plan.”

Business transformation is a common way leaders evolve companies to compete in changing environments. Less common however, is a powerful approach to drive transformation success: putting purpose at the core of the work.

Two years ago, Tapestry, the parent company of Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman experienced a shake up in the C-suite which resulted in several interim appointments, including the CEO. It also encountered a sharp decline in share price as revenues and margins contracted due to COVID-19. At the same time, the company was embarking on a significant business transformation to be customer centric, data-driven and agile. While there were multiple workstreams, the first one was purpose.

Why a Company's Purpose is Important

We’ve all heard of the 5 Love Languages… right? But how many career development languages do you know? If you’re like many, the answer is just one: Promotions!

But in most organizations, the time-honored tradition of defining career development in terms of promotions, moves, and/or title changes is dying or altogether dead. Hierarchies are flattening. Job bands are broadening. Work is more organic, organized around evolving needs versus entrenched structures. When opportunities do finally present themselves, competition is stiffer as remote work has removed the previous geographic limitations of who was within a reasonable commute to the workplace.

When I dropped my son off at school on his first day of kindergarten, he looked at me and said, “I can’t wait to not be new anymore.” Thinking about the many people changing roles and companies these days, I can’t help but wonder how many may be counting the days until they’re not new anymore, too.

No matter how many years of experience a person has – even the most senior of leaders – being the “newbie” is daunting for most and hard enough that many avoid taking the new job in the first place. Add to it the complexity of the workplace these days – exhausted teams, workforce shortages, supply chain and business disruption, war for talent, and constantly shifting ways of working and connecting as teams and organizations – being a leader in a new role is even more challenging.

Routine meetings with your team can give you important clues about their intent to stay and build a better employee experience.

These days, people aren’t just leaving their job because of the paycheck. Many are leaving because they don’t feel appreciated, they’re not feeling connected to the organization or its purpose, or they don’t see the value because what they’re giving is not in sync with what they’re getting. Showing genuine interest in your team and how they’re doing, asking the right questions, and listening with an open head and heart can go a long way to reinforce why employees should stay.

Federal officials are getting close to finalizing the rules that will be used to implement the Biden administration’s decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccines or frequent testing for all employees at companies that employ more than 100 people. The rules will affect approximately 80 million U.S. workers.

Is your company ready to lead a successful vaccination campaign? If you’re not quite there yet, two companies in particular, Tyson Foods and United Airlines, serve as great examples of how to do it right. Tyson has reached a 91% vaccination rate for its work force, while United is at a 99% vaccinated.

How Tyson Foods and United Airlines Achieved a
Higher Than 90% Employee Vaccination Rate

Business leaders across the globe are coming to an unexpected—and undesirable—realization: Their work cultures suck.

Of course, we can’t and shouldn’t label all company cultures as toxic. But the odds are good they’re not ideal and are less than inspiring. In many organizations, poor company culture is the root cause of low employee engagement, poor retention rates of key employees, low productivity, and many more undesirable outcomes.

Nearly 18 months in, many of us can say we have been changed by the pandemic in some way or another. Yes, we have adapted to different ways of working, learning and living, but we also may have emerged with a new perspective on life and a realignment of priorities. This is true of many leaders who share their stories in David Grossman’s new book, Heart First: Lasting Leader Lessons from a Year that Changed Everything. Just as individuals and leaders have had to adjust as a result of the pandemic, businesses of all sizes have flexed, adapted and changed like never before, and many are grappling now with what reforms they will adopt moving forward.

It’s 2021, and we’ve made it through Black History Month, but we’re still joyriding the wave of #BlackExcellence, while persevering through miserably predictable adversity and trauma. I’d say, hallowed by some ancestral forces who continue to restore fortitude and resilience.

In February 2020, I accepted an assignment as the Interim CEO of a leading scientific professional society. The Board President and President-elect were looking to me to keep the 130-member staff engaged and calm until the new CEO came on board, ensuring that valued society programs continued to operate effectively.

I knew there would be some challenges in leading the team. Transitions are always unsettling. This one had a number of elements that were raising stress levels – an effective and popular CEO was retiring, and the team was worried about changes I might make as well as changes the new CEO might institute. In addition, the Board was ready to adopt a visionary strategic plan, and employees wondered what their role would be in the society’s future.