I’ll tell you what I mean. Changing the world of work isn't easy, and we can't do it on our own. In my experience, everyone is trying to find their “tribe,” the people who share their values and world-views. And finding them—one Tweet, speaking engagement, or networking event at a time—can be slow.
Unless you use a flare. Flares communicate a location and a message: we need to find each other. Enter the value of workplace awards. In a world where networking (the meaningful kind) occurs at a glacial pace, workplace awards are Habanero’s flares. They’re one of the ways we tell the world who we are and where we are and what we’re thinking.
Choosing the right awards
That’s why we’re deliberate about the awards we participate in. Because we want to connect with like-minded people who share our belief in being purpose- and values-driven, we participate only in awards that reflect this identity. Take Great Place to Work, for example. It’s purpose-driven and aims to change the world. Those ideals are amazing. And that’s inspiring.
Building relationships
Receiving awards has positioned us to have important conversations with people we hadn’t known who also find these ideals amazing and inspiring. We met some wonderful people at Arc’teryx because of the recognition we’ve earned from Great Place to Work. Drummond Lawson, Arc’teryx’s Sustainability Director, and I began cycling together while shooting the breeze about purpose, values, and the dynamics of award-winning workplaces. Fast-forward six months, and we’re now collaborating regularly with Arc’teryx on articulating purpose and seeing its relationship with organizational success. In a few weeks, I’ll be leading a workshop with 75 of Arc’teryx’s most promising leaders where we’ll talk about linking your individual purpose to everything you do. I can confidently say that Arc’teryx won’t be the sole beneficiary of that work. I know I’ll leave the session inspired by stories about how people have engineered their worlds to bring their purpose to life.
Finding our tribe
In other words, awards can connect us. Leaning on them to tell the world who we are and where we are and what we stand for, we can open up possibilities for real idea-sharing and collaboration. If we’re lucky, that process of community-building will help us develop the knowledge and networks to find our real tribe.
