We’re Not Saving Lives Here: How to Find Purpose and Meaning at Work

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Research consistently tells us that creating purpose and meaning at work results in increased employee motivation, loyalty, retention, and, ultimately, performance. Yet McKinsey reports that only 15% of frontline leaders and employees feel connected to a sense of purpose in their work. According to our quarterly employee engagement survey at digital performance marketing agency Adlucent, 39% of employees are satisfied with the sense of personal meaning they derive from their work. And while Adlucent is higher than McKinsey’s benchmark, we still have work to do in enjoying the “why” of work and creating a feeling that our tasks and roles are meaningful and fulfilling.

One of the factors that differentiates Adlucent from other digital marketing agencies is our culture of transparency – both internally with employees and externally with clients. I strive to embody that culture by transparently sharing that I was one of the people who rated a low score on that survey question earlier this year. As a member of senior leadership and head of our employee experience team, I recognized that this was a personal development area for me, as well as an opportunity to inspire the rest of the company to be creators in our culture. This led me to embark on some soul-searching, research, and thoughtful conversations with colleagues to figure out how to find purpose and meaning at work.

So what’s the deal?

What I’ve concluded is that it’s rare and probably near impossible that what we do at work can create meaning. It is inherent to the definition of work – we spend our time producing outcomes for a greater organization in exchange for a paycheck. And in our capitalistic society, we need that paycheck to survive. We ask children what they want to be when they grow up, and the answer is typically a common profession that kids see in their day-to-day lives, including a doctor, teacher, veterinarian, astronaut, professional athlete, or superhero. Few of us grow up to work in the idealistic roles our developing child brains envision, but we do often grow up with an unrealistic expectation that our career should be personally fulfilling.  According to Adam Grant, “Choosing a career isn’t like finding a soul mate. It’s possible that your ideal job hasn’t even been invented yet.” Digital marketing didn’t exist when I was growing up, and it likely won’t exist as we know it by the time I retire. It would be a fool’s errand to seek purpose in something so out of my own control and contradict my personal core values, which are in large part centered around stoic philosophy. 

I followed up with some colleagues after seeing the lackluster personal meaning results from our Adlucent employee engagement survey to learn more, and someone responded with, “We’re not saving lives here; we’re just making money, so how could I possibly find meaning in managing digital marketing campaigns?” But I think the power actually lies in the fact that we’re not saving lives here. Oftentimes, jobs that are saving or helping lives in a very obvious way – teacher, social worker, military, nurse, police officer – are the most stressful and most burnt out. I find freedom in the fact that we’re not saving lives here, and I remind my team of this every time they start approaching burnout or expressing anxiety at work. Working at a company that allows me to put my personal well-being first and being able to empower my team to do the same is more rewarding to me than any marketing campaign I can produce. Adlucent’s founder and former CEO, Michael Griffin, instilled the mentality that if we treat employees well, they will treat customers well. If we have the space and energy to thrive at work, we shift from a reactive to a proactive state. This allows us to think about our customers’ businesses more creatively, providing solutions that deliver the best results possible. It’s a win-win. 

I think the real opportunity to create purpose at work is through how we work and who we do it with. 

How We Work

When we defined our company framework, including evolving Adlucent’s core values, mission, and vision a couple of years back, we were intentional about centering our mission statement around who we are, which is made up of people, and not what we do, which is digital marketing. Adlucent’s mission is to inspire the problem-solvers of tomorrow to reimagine client outcomes. Breaking that down, we exist to:

1. Develop people, including employees and customers
2. Exercise our strength, which is problem-solving
3. Grow ourselves and those who work with us

While I find our industry and work incredibly interesting, it is not the source of meaning for me. But I get tremendous motivation from the fact that it is a catalyst for maximizing my personal potential, developing my strengths, and positively impacting other’s growth in the same vein. This is a mindset within my own control, and a method to how I work that can be applied regardless of the application, role, company, or industry. Our mantra at Adlucent, and the most succinct way to define our culture, is Better Every Day. If I can do just one tiny thing each day to improve my mental and physical well-being and that of those around me, then I have a purpose. 

Who We Work With

The other common thread I uncovered among colleagues who positively reported a sense of strong purpose at work was people. This was unsurprising given that more than any other company I’ve worked for, Adlucites have developed friendships with each other and with clients in some cases that extend outside of work. We’ve even had several Adlucent weddings over the years! However, I found even those not interested in pursuing work relationships, platonic or romantic, are finding meaning through programs and behaviors fostered by the company. In addition to Better Every Day, our other two cultural pillars designed to help us achieve our mission include Company of Caring and Strength in Belonging.

• Company of Caring means that people are being cared for by Adlucent and its leadership. We have each other’s backs and look out for one another. And we impact the communities around us with the resources we have available to give. Adlucites have endless examples of practicing this human-first mindset constantly – whether it’s supporting a fellow Adlucite experiencing a challenge or volunteering for our numerous philanthropic initiatives. 

• Strength in Belonging means every single person is acknowledged, embraced, celebrated, and supported here. This, of course, includes Adlucites but also extends to our clients and partners. This cultural pillar was originally established by our DEI council and is practiced through recruitment, hiring, learning and development, philanthropy, community, and ambassadorship. The simple interpretation of this is that we are all stronger and more successful when we create psychological safety. I have more meaning and purpose at work when we can all confidently and comfortably show up, keep it real, and belong to a community. 

The concept of finding meaning in how we work and who we work with is not groundbreaking – the Leadership Circle profile assessment equates these related behaviors to effective leadership and, ultimately, results. So, we’re not saving lives here. I can’t control every capitalism-powered advancement and outcome in the digital marketing industry in which I’ve built my career. However, I remain motivated because I embrace the mindset that work provides me the freedom and circumstances to improve myself and support those around me. Work may not give you the ultimate meaning to life, but it should create an environment that allows you to grow and develop as a person. Regardless of the role or industry, this creates sustainable, repeatable performance at work.

Laura Russell

Laura is a creative problem solver and innovative marketer with 15 years of experience spanning business strategy, marketing, and client services. Currently serving as Adlucent’s VP of Marketing and Culture, Laura heads up both B2B marketing as well as the company's culture and employee experience function.