Helping Your Employees Find Their Ikigai

This is truly one of the best privileges we have as leaders. I have found that when leaders help others get what they want, they end up getting what they want sooner and more often. This applies to employees, coworkers, bosses, family, friends, and neighbors. It is so easy to do. Find out what other people around you want and help them get there. Many times, it doesn’t even cost money. It is just knowing what your people truly want and connecting them with the right people. Is there any better legacy than helping people accomplish things they never thought possible? The leaders that learn this gift, are always the most successful and fulfilled.

For so many, the pandemic was a professional awakening, causing many employees to reevaluate their professional careers, not only what they want but also what they aren’t willing to tolerate anymore. Great leaders need to be a place where their employees can find their Ikigai.

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means your “reason for being”. It is said that a person finds their Ikigai when the following four things intersect:

1. You find what you love to do
2. That you can be great at
3. That you can make a good living at
4. And that will make a positive impact on the world

Ikigai is what brings you joy and inspires you to get out of bed every day—it is your calling. National Geographic reported Ikigai may be one of the reasons for the longevity of the people of Okinawa. Okinawans have less desire to retire, as people continue to do their careers as long as they remain healthy.

Have you found your Ikigai? As leaders, it is important to help our employees find their Ikigai. Many times, that will be with our organization, possibly as part of their career track or in a different position and department within your company. I have seen and heard so many times, successful professionals who thought they were starting off in an entry-level position, thinking it was a temporary, transitional job until something better came along, only to find that they fell in love with the company and industry, ending up making it their career. We must be constantly making sure our employees, especially new employees, realize all the career opportunities our companies offer and hear about the rags to riches stories, of the people who started off in a front-line position, and because of their outstanding performance, have risen through the ranks and have enjoyed thriving careers in our organizations.

Sometimes helping an employee find their Ikigai may result in helping them find a different company and industry. Too many organizations have employees acting as squatters, taking up space, until they find something better, which often is not good for your culture.

*Register for our New CXO Academy Class starting this fall

Quote of the Week

“Employee roulette is when the level of experience your customers receive is dependent on which employee they encounter.”

CX Video Clip of the Week

How to deal with the critics & cynics regarding your Customer Experience initiative:

March 31^st is Last Day for the Early Bird Pricing for the 2022 Customer Service Revolution Conference

This year’s Customer Service Revolution conference will be the best one we have ever put on. We expect to break our all-time attendance record! Take advantage of the low early bird pricing before it’s too late:

*Speaker Lineup Announced April 1^st!

We have added a New CXO Academy Class starting this fall

As a result of our 2022 Customer eXperience Executive Academy (CXEA) selling out, we have added a second class that will start in September 2022. The CXO Academy is a 12-month part-time program. The CXO student is required to attend quarterly 3-day intensive training sessions, in Cleveland, as well as participate in virtual meetings twice a quarter. Quarter 1 is September 13^th – 15^th.

Having worked with the top Customer Service organizations in the world, The DiJulius Group’s CXEA course gives you both theoretical and practical experience on how to elevate the levels of service at your company. With the increasing need for the Customer eXperience Executive in businesses today, the CXEA teaches the X Commandment Methodology, which covers all facets and responsibilities that fall under Customer Experience. Unlike any other institution, the CXEA’s focus, strictly on the Customer and Employee experience, prepares leaders to champion change at any company, regardless of industry.