How We Create Impact Personally, Professionally, and in the Community

Michelle Obama once said, “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” As humans, we yearn to create an impact and leave our mark on whatever we do, be it personally, professionally, or in the community.

When we go all out to make a difference in the things we do, it not only makes us feel happier and more balanced, but it also instills a greater sense of fulfillment in our lives.

Given that we spend most of our waking hours at work, it’s logical that we seek to make a difference in the organization that we are attached to. As such, it’s important for companies to realize this and create an environment where employees can thrive in creating an impact in what they do. 

In this article, we will dive deeper into why job seekers want to make a difference in the workplace and how Brighttail incorporates this in the lives of our people. 

Why Job Seekers Want to Make a Difference

Gone are the days when job seekers only looked at remuneration packages when accepting a job offer. They are now more purpose-driven and seek employment that gives them a powerful sense of meaning.

In fact, this is more prevalent among millennials. According to the 2016, Cone Communications Millennial Employee Engagement study, 88% say their job is more fulfilling when employers provide opportunities for them to make a positive difference at work. 

Keep reading as we discover three reasons why people seek to make a difference at work.

Brings a Sense of Fulfillment 

In today’s generation, finding satisfying and meaningful employment is one of the greatest pursuits of employees. We choose organizations that align with our goals so we will be able to take pride in what we do and know our work has made a positive difference to us, our colleagues, and to the community.

According to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer report, the number one reason people leave a company is because they want to find a job that is more personally fulfilling.  

Fulfillment can mean different things to different people. But essentially, it’s about connecting work to a sense of purpose. For some, it could be a big purpose like making the world a better or safer place. However, the majority often seek a smaller sense of fulfillment like creating innovative solutions at work or expanding their knowledge on a new technology. 

Creates a Positive Impact on Others 

As employees, we feel good when we know our work has made a difference on the company, colleagues, and clients. To put it plainly, it’s an excellent ego boost that will push us to work harder at our job.

Rather than just going to work for paychecks, top-tier employees take pride in their work and accomplishments. They find it even more rewarding if their work can help the organization reach its business goals. 

Making a difference and creating an impact on others fulfills our essential human need to feel significant and contribute to the people around us. 

Improves Workplace Culture 

Up until recently, most people viewed being part of the rat-race as an unpleasant experience. Work was seen as just a means for survival, and not exactly to make a difference. While this culture was acceptable a few decades ago, it is no longer attractive for the current workforce, especially for millennials and Gen Z.

These generations are purpose-driven and search for corporations that advocate healthy workplace culture. For them, being part of an unhealthy workplace is no longer acceptable, which is why they join companies that value their staff and push them to make a difference in the company and the community. 

Five Ways Brighttail Makes a Difference 

As a business, your utmost priority should be to create a positive environment for your employees to thrive and make a difference in what they do. By doing so, you increase your chances of attracting the cream of the crop to your organization. 

After all, quality employees lead to a successful and profitable business.

Here are five practices that Brighttail implements in order to make a difference in our employees’ lives. 

Personal Growth Initiatives 

As a purpose-driven business, our mission is to unleash the full potential of our people and businesses. We strive to cultivate an environment that allows our people to grow and flourish in their career goals. Staying true to this, we have rolled out several personal growth initiatives for our employees. One of them is having a biweekly 1:1 discussion where our employees get an opportunity to voice any ideas, blockers, or help they require from their leaders. The goal here is to have open, two-way communication so our people can focus on growing and achieving their career goals. 

We also make information easily accessible for all. Our employees can gain access to all details pertaining to our business, company, and clients. This allows them to learn more and improve their understanding of the overall B2B industry.

Brighttail is also a firm believer in celebrating the success of our people. We believe that acknowledging good work will only motivate our staff to perform better. This is why we give special mention to all our employees’ achievements in Slack, at town halls, and in scrum meetings. 

Career Advancement and Talent Development Plans

We pay close attention to our employees’ career advancement and talent development plans. When a new hire joins our agile agency, a custom professional development plan (PDP) is created for the employee based on their 1-, 2-, and 5-year goals. This is to ensure both the employee and the manager are on the right track to figure out the employee’s career plans and how Brighttail is going to help the new hire achieve that. We encourage regular 1:1 talks between the leadership team and the employee to discuss and align the staff and company’s goals. 

Our new hires are also provided with an onboarding guide to give them a detailed plan on what they can do to reach their goals.

We value progress over perfection. We create a comfortable and open environment for our people to discuss problems and obstacles, as we believe continuous improvement to reach our shared goals is more beneficial than focusing on absolute perfection. We are firm believers in small victories that lead up to achieving the bigger successes. 

Work-Life Balance

According to a survey by Zippia, 57% of those surveyed say a poor work-life balance is a deal-breaker when considering a job. In fact, this is the second most popular reason employees voice for turning down a job offer. Truly understanding this, Brighttail strongly pushes for a healthy work-life balance. 

Rather than expecting our people to keep their nose to the grindstone, we create a happy and productive environment for them to be able to have good work-life balance. We think that people produce their best work when they have time to do things outside of their work. As such, some of our staff participate in ultramarathons, help the needy via their preferred charities, and spend quality time with their loved ones after work. 

Brighttail also follows a system where tasks are broken down into two-week durations called sprints. By doing this, our staff can manage their time better and not be overwhelmed with tasks, ensuring a work-life balance can be achieved. 

Trust and Transparency

One of the biggest downfalls for business is its inability to trust and be transparent with its employees. A report by Tiny Pulse found that lack of transparency leads to lack of professional growth. Additionally, a report by Harvard Business Review revealed that employees feel most engaged with their organization when management consistently updates staff and shares the company’s business plans and strategy.

Here at Brighttail, all staff are given open access to information regarding the business, company, and clients via knowledge-base platforms like Google Drive and Confluence. We also share the company’s plans and updates from clients at our monthly town halls. 

Pledge 1%

Apart from making a difference to our people, Brighttail is committed to making a difference in the community, as it is one of the ways we measure our success as a business. We have recently joined the Pledge 1% movement where we pledge to donate 1% of our time or profit to the community. The first activity that we carried out under this movement was by providing financial assistance to the victims of the recent disastrous floods in Klang Valley.

By joining the movement, we have made a formal commitment to be a difference-maker in the community. Moving forward, we will have more structured programs to ensure that we are investing our time and efforts into the community.

Come Join Us and Make a Difference

We as humans take absolute pride in what we do. In fact, knowing our work makes a difference and has an impact on the organization can become a major driving force in life. It gives us a higher purpose and greater satisfaction than just receiving a paycheck at the end of the month.

Brighttail strives to create a positive environment where our people can do their best and know that they have made a positive impact personally, professionally, and in the community.

Are you a difference maker? Come join a team of talented, ambitious people who are committed to making a bigger impact on the world.