According to an article on Forbes, over 50% of Americans hate their jobs.  A Gallup poll reported that 70% of employees are not engaged or actively disengage at work, meaning that they are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and are less likely to be productive.  In the same poll, it was reported that disengaged employees had a tougher time getting up and going to work on Mondays – shocker!

I used to be one of those statistics.  I woke up dreading going into the office, and, once I was there, I could not wait until the day was over.  I eventually realized what an unproductive, uninspiring and downright depressing situation I was in, and I quit.

Today, waking up every morning and going to work is not a chore.  I actually enjoy work and look forward to being surrounded by people who share a similar feeling.  I have been with Brightwing for over a decade, and I can honestly say that I have never dreaded coming to work (and I’m not just saying that because my boss is going to read this).

What I now understand is how important it is to feel connected to the organization I work for. When I was a disengaged employee who hated going to work, I was not inspired by the leadership of the organization, felt that I had no purpose beyond making money, and there was no vision or greater purpose for the organization as a whole.  I felt no connection to the organization’s success and was just trying to make a buck.  The organization did not have a “Why.”

Today, I work for an organization with a leadership team that believes in more than just making money.  I clearly understand the vision and greater purpose of the organization, and I am excited about it.  I understand how my role fits in the big picture and how I can help the organization achieve its greater purpose.  What I have discovered is that I share the same feelings as employees at the world’s best companies, like Zappos, Google, and Southwest Airlines, just to name a few.

It was not until recently that, inspired by Simon Sinek, our organization went through an exercise to define our “Why.”  It was a collaborative effort that included members of the executive leadership team, managers, and employees, and together