Maslow's Updated Hierarchy of Needs: Purpose is the Apex

I am a joy seeker. To paraphrase Elf (that time of year is fast approaching), joy is my favorite. I find so much of it in my friends, family, and of course fur babies.

Yet, it has become increasingly clear to me that my central professional quest is not only to find personal joy at work--it's to foster and create joy for others through my work as well.

I mean, who wouldn't like to feel more joy at work, and help those you lead and manage to feel more joy, too? So what? There's a simple answer: people are happy when their needs are met. What else do we possibly need to know?

Well, did you know that the top of Maslow's hierarchy of needs isn't self-actualization, but instead it's purpose at the apex?

Here's the scoop on how self-transcendence over self-actualization took over the top of the updated hierarchy of needs. One weekend not long ago, I was listening to High Performance Mindset, a podcast with Dr. Cindra Kamphoff, and her guest was Richard Leider, an executive coach who has spent more than 40 years studying purpose.

Back in 1969, Leider was searching for his own purpose after earning a graduate degree in counseling psychology. Then he met Abraham Maslow. Leider spent a week learning from him and during that time, Maslow admitted that the top of the hierarchy of needs wasn't self-actualization (self-fulfillment). In fact, the top place was held by self-transcendence through purpose.

This more impact-focused top rung, rather than inward-focused, makes so much sense to me when I'm thinking about what brings people joy, particularly in the context of joy at work. Yes, there's joy in recognition, connection, and realization of personal goals, a great deal of it (check out the infographic "What Drives Joy at Work" in the article "Making Joy a Priority at Work," A. Liu, HBR 2019, created from research conducted by A.T. Kearney in December 2018). But according to Kearney's 2018 survey, joy at work stems from believing that your work is truly meaningful.

Specifically, employees who believe that their "company makes a positive societal contribution" and who feel "personally committed to achieving the company's vision and strategy" experienced the most joy at work (Liu, HBR 2019). These most joyful people have a positive purpose, and they feel like they are working toward that larger purpose every day.

So here's how you help bring more joy to work at your organization, for everyone: make sure everyone knows what positive societal contribution the company makes, and how that is to be achieved through its vision and strategy. Then help everyone to understand their role and the role of others on their team in supporting the success of that vision and strategy. Foster team harmony, support individuals' impact and growth of their talents, and acknowledge both individual and team successes, small and large. I'd bet an important digit that if you do these things with sincerity, energy, and commitment, you're going to see meaningful increases in joy at work.

I'd really love to hear from those of you who are already doing this - how is it going?

Graphic sources: “A Theory of Human Motivation” by A.H. Maslow, 1943, adapted by Ann Howell in Harvard Business Review, and “High Performance Mindset” podcast with Dr. Cindra Kamphoff with episode guest Richard Leider