Workhuman Radio

Investing In Relationships At Work with Aaron Hurst


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Mike Wood is pleased to welcome Aaron Hurst to this week’s show. Aaron is the founder of Imperative, a SAAS platform that helps people understand their purpose. He and Mike chat about how investing in relationships makes work more meaningful.
From Volunteering to Pro Bono Work
Aaron launched the Taproot Foundation to change volunteerism. Through his foundation, people contributed their professional skills pro bono, instead of just volunteering time. Aaron soon recognized that people were using their pro bono work to get fulfilment in their lives. The challenge, he realized, was how to make work itself more meaningful. He founded Imperative as a solution to this problem. His company created a purpose assessment to help people uncover what brings purpose to them. Imperative also launched a peer coaching platform to help employees align and grow with their organizations.
Relationships Matter
150,000 persons have completed the purpose assessment, Aaron says. While just knowing your purpose increases your odds of being fulfilled, Aaron understood that there was still a need for a model to help people live out their purpose on a daily basis. He saw that people who find their work meaningful tend to have good relationships with their peers, a network they can rely on for support, learning and growth. Imperative’s platform allows employees to build those relationships with their peers. Mike agrees that it’s the people you work with who make you stay at a company. 
Mental Health Issues
Aaron cites statistics that show that 50% - some researchers say up to 75% - of millennial turnover is tied to mental health issues. This is due in part to the fact that many people do not have strong relationships. Mike comments that first jobs are usually a big let down from the lofty expectations of college. “You can get a little bit depressed right out of the workforce,” he says. Social media can add to the depression, especially when you see everyone “living their best life on Facebook” and your life cannot compare. Mike says that we all need to have a supportive network at work to lift us up together.
Investing In Relationships
Even when your job seems menial, you find it purposeful when you have a great relationship with your peers. Aaron says that if you focus on relationships, it feeds everything else. He challenges listeners to think about the people who bring meaning to their work, and to invest in building more of those relationships. 
Resources
Imperative.com
The Purpose Economy book
Taproot Foundation
...more
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