Future Files Part 3: Meaning will attract & retain future talent

Note: Image from TOMS' Facebook page - this is them on a recent shoe drop in Argentina

This is the last of the 3 part series inspired by Richard Watson's Future Files book.

In the section on trends influencing 'work', he refers to the macro aging population trend. When this trends collides with the reduced birth rate, we see a dramatic increase in labour shortage! This shortage increases the importance to attracting and maintaining a strong work force to remain a competitive organization in the future.

Richard Watson refers to a theory from Thomas Kuhn's book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, that radical breakthroughs come from 3 sources: young people, accidents and the cross fertilization of disciplines (on a side note I love this theory and believe it is spot on!).

What this theory tells us is that organizations need young people to stimulate change and progress forward creating value for the organization.

So, how do we attract this valuable segment of people who are limited in supply compared to the large number of jobs that will be soon available?

Well we must create environments that appeal to this group. According the Watson, Gen Y passionately cares about how companies operate and interact with the wider environment. In addition, they are motivated by jobs with real meaning - a job that gives them a sense of contribution to society and the overall global environment.

Being a Gen Y myself, I have to admit this feels extremely close to home. My friends select their jobs/careers based on what they want to contribute and the feeling of pride they take from their job each day. And if you've been reading my blog, or even just my profile, you know that my life ambition is to help organizations make meaning and live it everyday - needless to say I am strongly motivated by meaning and purpose.

But I'm only an example of one - and a biased one at that. So we can look to other examples, like TOMS shoes, we see that young people want purpose in their careers, and that's what draws them into an organization.

TOMS' brand purpose is fundamentally ingrained into its very core - its business model was developed based on its one-to-one brand purpose. The brand story has attracted so many people who want to be a part of its movement, as a customer or employee!

In fact, the majority of TOMS talent is Gen Y. People graduating from top Ivy League schools in the US are choosing to work for TOMS over other high paying jobs. Why - some may ask - well it's because they receive far greater satisfaction knowing they are doing something valuable compared to just contributing to the mundane bottom line.

Analytical numbers and sales figures don't motivate employees - Emotions, purpose & meaning motivate and excite employees because they understand what they are doing and why they are doing it!

So, if you want to adequately compete in the future's talent war, you must fundamentally build your brand purpose into the heart of your organization. Ensure your brand purpose is meaningful to society and the global environment. Don't just write down your purpose and say it's there - believe in it, act on it and live it everyday! That will help you attract tomorrow's top talent!

Note: Image from TOMS Facebook page - this is the TOMS' headquarters celebrating their 4th birthday