How much is purpose worth?

 

I recently read a comic strip in which the conversation went like this:

Worker A: If your boss gives you a meaningful purpose at work, would you accept a lower pay?
Worker B: No.
Worker A: That goes to show how much meaning and purpose is worth at work.

At first glance this sounds logical, but if we think deeper, this is thinking about the matter in a wrong way. If your boss tells you a purpose for the sake of cutting your pay, I would have serious doubts about that purpose and the intention behind sharing the purpose. So this comic isn't about purpose. It is about whether a leader treats their people fairly and respectfully. Think about these questions. Why do some people stay at a job despite being offered a higher pay elsewhere? Who do some people quit their jobs to take up lower-paying jobs in an unfamiliar industry? Ultimately people want more than money from their work life.

How much is purpose worth? Everything.

As leaders, how do we help our people find their purpose?