Brian Mohr, COO and co-founder of Y Scouts, a purposed based executive search firm, led an inspirational and thought-provoking discussion at our Free Lunch Friday with his talk “Building Purpose Driven Organizations.”
[youtube]http://youtu.be/hqB5haBftTk[/youtube]
Mohr kicked off the talk with some shocking stats from the workplace:
In a recent article by Yahoo Finance:
- 60 percent of people said they hate what they are doing for work
- In terms of employee output and effort, almost 30 percent of employees are actively engaged, 52 percent are not engaged, and there is this 18 percent group that Mohr described as a toxic contributor or “C.A.V.E. Dwellers” (C=complains, A=about, V=virtually, E=everything)
Also, Harvard Business Review surveyed people on the street and asked who they trusted more your boss or a stranger. The results revealed 58 percent would trust a stranger over their boss.
“This is a big problem! But work doesn’t have to be miserable!” Mohr exclaimed.
Mohr walked us through the evolution of management and how it’s traditionally been a “my way or the highway” mentality. Fortunately, the workplace is changing and Mohr explained that leaders need to think more about engaging employees and recruiting people who care about your business instead of hiding behind a desk or title. “Transparency has reached a new level,” he said.
Mohr explained that leaders need to understand that an engaged employee means increased job satisfaction, but more importantly, increased profitability. But how do you recruit “engaged” employees?
“Find someone who has a profound connection to the business and cares about something your company cares about,” Mohr said.
While growing Jobing.com, he’s seen his fair share of interviews that are canned, pre-prepared and designed to give the expected answer. In order to break out of this mold, Mohr explains employers need to find a way to connect with people, find out what motivates them and begin to fundamentally change the way they recruit.
In one of the many motivational moments, Mohr encouraged employers to, “invite people to take off the masks and cut through the bullshit… get real and connect on something more fundamental than ‘can you do this job?’”
Mohr encouraged individuals who conduct interviews to go beyond the typical recruiting Q&A checklist and consider if, “…the questions are meaningful and cut through the crap or are you just looking for the answer you need to hear and fill the space?”
He emphasized, “You can always find people to do the job…[instead,] find people that care about something beyond the paycheck.”
The last part of the talk entailed an exercise designed to dig deeper and understand why we get up everyday and go to work. “As human beings we just want to care,” Mohr states.
Watch Brian Mohr’s talk on our YouTube Channel AZ Tech Beat TV.
Learn more about Y Scouts here.
So to our readers: Do you know your “Y,” your purpose, and are you doing something you love and engaging in something that matters? Share with us below or on our Facebook page! What is your “Y?”
Join us at our next Free Lunch Friday at Infusionsoft November 15. Tickets will be on sale soon.