191: The Politics of Meaningful Work - Nina Mapson Bone

The Politics of Everything

It could well be a post-Covid itch or a global movement – time will tell but everywhere I look we seem to see news stories discussing the role of finding “purpose” in our careers, and what we can all do to secure more meaningful work. There’s a severe talent shortage combined with a significant deficit in soft skills, AI is taking over technical roles, and people are experiencing peak levels of career frustration, whilst work has become our primary source of identity, significance, and meaning. We all want to be engaged in meaningful work, but how do we unpack what that really means for each of us as individuals?

My guest Nina Mapson Bone has a new book Meaningful Work, which is based on world-first Australian data from 1000 participants to help readers define what meaningful work is and is a guide to unlocking career fulfillment. It includes case studies of people who have found meaningful work. In short, it shares their inflexion points and the at times more unusual paths they took to get there. It also looks to the future of soft skills needed in organisations, and why the solution is in a much-needed generation of meaningful work.

Nina has the credentials to back her book as a recruitment specialist, she is able to distil this journey to career fulfillment down into three key messages that can help anyone looking for more than just financial rewards and some new lunchmates in their day jobs.

She is Managing Director of Beaumont People and President & Chair of the Recruitment, Consulting and Staffing Association of Australia & New Zealand, and Chair of the Development Committee, NORTH Foundation. Nina has experienced first-hand the power of work to transform your life, and through her work in recruitment has seen how every outcome at work improves when people are engaged in meaningful work.

Nina answers in this podcast:

1. Is there a surefire we can get to the heart of what is meaningful for us and does that change over time and need refining as we evolve and our focuses change such – like just paying a mortgage to maybe wanting more externally-driven outcomes like reducing climate change impacts or helping more women become leaders with impact, in where we work?

2. What are the four factors of Meaningful Work and how to measure them yourself?

3. Is there a way to create more meaning in a role you’re in or is finding new jobs usually an easier path to meaningful work?

4. Is there always a need to have meaning at work if you find other ways to define yourself through personal activities like volunteering or raising a family?

5. As a recruiter, what are the biggest challenges you see in the current labour market?

6. Takeaway: What is your final takeaway message for us on The Politics of Meaningful Work?

Contact details:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamapsonbone/?originalSubdomain=au

W: https://www.ninamapsonbone.com.au/

POE LISTENER:

Hey podcaster friends. Please note we have a new updated link for the 30% discount code for my Zencastr offer if you decide to use that platform as your recording and hosting place. For a 30% discount on your Zencastr platform subscription, you podcast course legends and show listeners should use this VIP Link: http://zen.ai/thepoliticsofeverything30
#madeonzencastr