Professionals today want more than a paycheck—they want to know they are working on something meaningful and making a difference. They want a purpose for showing up every day. Knowing that employees want more from their jobs, leaders can take steps to create a personalized experience for everyone on their team.

It may sound daunting, but according to Dr. Jeff Smith, director of the Best-Self Academy at 15Five, there are several ways you can help your sales reps perform their best while growing into their calling. We share his tips in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

Make support and gratitude part of your culture. According to Dr. Smith, acts of kindness and gratitude can positively influence others, which helps keep everyone in a positive mindset. One single act of kindness can provide an oxytocin boost for 3-4 minutes, so make a commitment to regularly showing support and thankfulness.

Identify your employees’ unique strengths. Dr. Smith recommends using a strength-identifying tool like the Clifton Strengths Assessment or the VIA Character Strengths Survey to help surface the specific talents each sales rep brings to the team. By recognizing and developing others’ character strengths, you can help them experience more positive emotions at work, which can help them see how they are stepping into their calling.

Commit to connection. At a time when most employees are working from home, it’s important to help them feel connected to others. It’s not only a fundamental human need, but it also increases motivation and mitigates challenging situations, says Dr. Smith. You can help your sales reps lean into their calling by discussing their passions outside of work and what they want to accomplish in their lives.

Celebrate the big and small wins. Another way to help your employees craft their job into their calling is to recognize their accomplishments. Show your sales reps the impact their work has on others, suggests Dr. Smith. Recognizing their strengths and capabilities goes a long way to encouraging their growth.

Create peak experiences. According to Dr. Smith, peak experiences are events that are unique, memorable and exhilarating or deeply moving. They produce a profound feeling of possibility and connectedness. Leaders can look for ways to give their employees the freedom and flexibility to explore the world of possibilities at work and beyond.

Nurture the manager-employee relationship. To really help bring your team members into their calling, get to know them. Learn what they want to accomplish in their career. Discover what lights them up. Dr. Smith says many employees don’t get the training they need. By spending quality time with your sales reps, you can also help them develop soft skills, which can take years to master.

Your sales reps can view their job as simply a source of income—or as something much more fulfilling. When you take time to work with your employees and discover what they enjoy and what they aspire to be, you can create a work environment that helps them lean into their calling.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Dr. Jeff Smith is the director of the Best-Self Academy at 15Five. A cognitive psychologist, Dr. Smith’s mission is to use science to help people, teams and organizations thrive.