Every day I picked my preschooler up from school and asked him the same question: “Hey, what did you do today?” Every day I got the same response: Silence. As a researcher, I’ve learned that the quality of the answers we get is usually proportionate to the quality of the questions we ask. I acknowledged … Read more
As people “return to work” during the COVID-19 pandemic, employers should be ready to address a hidden issue: a meaning deficit. Historically, every significant disruption of how we work inflicted profound distress flamed by existential crises and the search for meaningfulness. At the height of the second Industrial Revolution, in 1897, sociologist David Émile Durkheim … Read more
Think about the first time you realized you mattered. What happened? How did you feel? Chances are your moment of mattering impacted and moved you. Most likely, you felt important because of what someone else said or did. Feeling significant is a basic human desire and a critical factor for mental, emotional, and physical well-being in life, school, and … Read more