HBR Guide to Motivating People (HBR Guide Series)

CHAPTER 10

The Best Leaders Show People That Their Work Matters

by Lewis Garrad and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

There is a widely shared story about a cleaner at NASA who, when asked by JFK what his job was, responded, “I’m helping to put a man on the moon.” This anecdote is often used to show how even the most mundane job can be seen as meaningful with the right mindset and under a good leadership.

Today, more and more employees demand much more than a good salary from their jobs. Money may lure people into jobs, but purpose, meaning, and the prospect of interesting and valuable work determine both their tenure and how hard they will work while they are on the job. Finding meaning at work has become so important that there are even public rankings ...