[BBB#3] Alive at Work : The Neuroscience of Helping Your People Love What They Do by Daniel M. Cable

Even though work makes up a significant part of our lives, the majority of us do not feel engaged in the work we do. In this week's book, Daniel M. Cable shares about our seeking system - the natural impulse to explore our worlds, learn about our environments, and extract meaning from our circumstances. He tells us how we can activate this seeking system in our employees so that they we can become more engaged in their work.

To start off with, being disengaged isn't a flaw in the human psyche; in fact, Daniel calls it a feature, as it's a way for our minds to tell us that we were meant to do better things. Disengagement can come about when employees feel afraid to come forth with their ideas, which is in turn often an effect of having a culture of fear. Although one might turn to extrinsic rewards to reduce disengagement, it's likely to fail, since our seeking system prompts an intrinsic urge to explore, rather than giving an extrinsic reward for an action. It's as Abraham Maslow described in the concept of self-actualization: "Even if all these needs are satisfied, we may still expect that a new discontent and restlessness will soon develop, unless the individual is doing what he is fitted for." On that note, Daniel M. Cable distinguishes between the two types of happiness, namely eudemonic and hedonic. It's important for us to seek to maximize our eudemonic happiness, or the meaning we feel in our lives, as higher eudemonic happiness is shown to lead to a healthier immune system.

But activating our seeking systems is no easy task. When employees feel like their opinions do not matter to their organization, they develop a state of learned helplessness. This causes employees to grow resigned, lose motivation and impairs their cognitive reasoning. Even as organization strive towards a more creative culture, it is often the case that creativity is punished while the practical is rewarded. One solution which Daniel suggests is to set a frame, or an area that is relevant to the organization in which employees can practice their creativity. And here it's important for employees to understand the shared purpose of the organization. Another solution would be to have a wise intervention, or a new and small action that has disproportionately large effects because it fixes something that makes people feel emotionally vulnerable.

A concept which I absolutely love and would like to practice more in my life is servant leadership. Being humble, and learning from employees with the aim of helping them achieve their goals, can be more effective that emphasizing hierarchy. This entails recognizing the true value of lower level employees. Every voice matters. When it comes to purpose, it's important for employees to get to know their end users as it helps them to craft their own narrative of why they're doing the things they do. As Friedrich Nietzsche said, "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."

In conclusion, this book is one that I find profound meaning in, especially because it pertains to my current situation in school. At times, as I'm working on my final year project, the obstacles can seem insurmountable. And without guidance from my stakeholders, I have to admit that it can be difficult to stay engaged in my work. I believe some of the lessons that Daniel shares in his book can help me figure out how to approach my project better, and perhaps it can help you too. So cheers to this book, and here's to feeling alive!

Want the book? Get it now on The Book Depository!