Motivation
David Ulrich
The Why of Work
Members only. August 14, 2012 11AM ET
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Who is this workout for?
Project Managers, HR Professionals, Division Leaders, Department Managers, Team Leaders, Team Members, Executives, L&D Professionals.
Element: Motivation
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What you learn.
- Ask the seven questions that drive abundance.
- Understand the needs of your customers and staff.
- Personalize the work to motivate your employees.
- Build and grow your business in any economy.
Why this event?
This morning, people all over the planet got out of bed and got ready for work. Some headed out before dawn in high-end cars to claim high-rise offices with high-tech computers and high-brow clients. Some headed out before dawn to walk barefoot, wares on their head, to claim a choice spot in the dirt near the entrance to the village market.
Some people wrestled with the muses to create artistic masterpieces or solve perplexing scientific problems. Some wrestled with boredom to complete their shifts at cash registers, call centers, or assembly lines. Some pitched their resumes in business suits, looking for good benefits and a sure path to comfortable retirement. Some made their pitch in ragged jeans on street corners, looking for someone to rent their muscles for at least the day.
Why it makes a difference.
According to studies, we all work for the same thing—and it’s not just money. It’s meaning. Through our work, we seek a sense of purpose, contribution, connection, value, and hope. When we achieve meaning through our work, we succeed beyond our wildest dreams.
That’s the simple but profound premise behind this groundbreaking book and G5 Leadership Event with renowned management expert Dave Ulrich. He's interviewed thousands of people—from rank-and-file workers to day-to-day customers to top-level executives—and synthesized major disciplines to identify the “why” behind our most successful experiences.
Some people in every one of these and many other categories by which we could define work found a sense of meaning, purpose, even abundance in their labor today. Other people in every category found world-weary tedium, frustration, and a sense of despair. Which were you? Which were the people you lead?
David Ulrich
Dave Ulrich is a Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. He studies how organizations build capabilities of leadership, speed, learning, accountability, and talent through leveraging human resources. He has helped generate award winning data bases that assess alignment between strategies, organization capabilities, HR practices, HR competencies, and customer and investor results.
He has published over 175 articles and book chapters and 23 bestselling and highly-acclaimed books including The Why of Work, Why the Bottom Line Isn’t and The Boundaryless Organization.
Dave's honors include:
- Nobels Colloquia Prize for Leadership on Business and Economic Thinking
- Ranked #1 most influential international thought leader in HR by HR Magazine
- Ranked #1 most influential person in HR by HR Magazine
- Dyer Distinguished Alumni Award from Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Management
- Named by Fast Company as one of the 10 most innovative and creative thinkers of 2005
- Ranked #1 management educator and guru by Business Week
- Listed in Forbes as one of the “world’s top five” business coaches.