Ask the Expert Blog
If your employees seem apathetic about your organization’s mission, motivate them to embrace it by consistently displaying your own passion through your actions and words.
Q: I’m firmly committed to my organization’s mission, but I don’t think the employees I supervise share my passion. How can I inspire them to care more about our work?
A: The most important way you can inspire your employees is through your actions, supported by your words. If you consistently demonstrate your own commitment to your organization’s mission, your team will be motivated to embrace it too.
If you’ve been trying to share your enthusiasm for the work your organization does and its impact, but without success, here are some points to consider:
Actions speak louder than words. Your employees watch how you live the organization’s mission every day. Don’t give them a reason to believe you’re all talk with no follow-through. Take some time to think about how well you uphold your organization’s mission and values and how you can improve if you’re coming up short.
If you consistently demonstrate your own commitment to your organization’s mission, your team will be motivated to embrace it too.
Take every opportunity to talk about the mission. While actions speak louder than words, words are important too. One thing you can try is to start every staff meeting by talking about something related to your mission. Show how your organization is making an impact in the world. Ask staff members to share what your mission means to them. This kind of reflection and sharing will deepen your team’s understanding of the mission and how the organization makes a difference.
Hire people who believe in your mission. When you have an opening on your team, probe for the applicants’ understanding of and commitment to your mission. Share your own passion in the interviews and build a team of people who have bought in to your organization’s purpose from the start.
Make sure the mission is emphasized in new-employee onboarding. If your organization has a formal onboarding process, meet with the people who conduct it and see whether and how the mission is incorporated into it. What do new hires see and hear about your mission during their introduction to your organization? If managers do their own onboarding of new hires, make sure yours includes a time when you share your passion for the mission.
