It’s often believed that to feel aligned, you need a job that “carries meaning.” But what if this quest were mainly about how we inhabit work, and more broadly, life itself?
Certain public figures embody this stance: meaning doesn’t flow from their job per se, but from a personal way of being in the world, from an engaged relationship with life.
Take Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, who gave away 98% of his company to an environmental foundation in 2022, never having viewed his business as an end in itself, but as a means to serve a greater cause: preserving the planet. Or Paul Polman, who, after transforming Unilever to integrate ambitious social and environmental objectives, works to raise awareness among leaders through his organization IMAGINE, convinced that business must serve life, not the reverse.
A contemporary illusion: expecting the company to provide (all the) meaning.
Today, in discussions about work quality of life, the quest for meaning, the “right job,” there’s often a shift in responsibility: “I want a position that feels meaningful to me,” “I’m looking for a company that makes me come alive,” “I want to be aligned with the mission.”
These expectations are legitimate, but they become fragile if they’re expressed without personal commitment. Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, demonstrated this by resigning in 2023, lacking enough energy “to do this job as it should be done“: a strong and clear decision that shows a sense of commitment faithful to a life ethic.
Meaning is truly a shared construction, of which the individual is the primary architect.
Dilts’ logical levels: a compass to take back control.
When you’re a manager and want to properly support a colleague struggling with a sense of meaning without staying at the surface level, you can draw on Robert Dilts’ logical levels, a tool from NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), which breaks down what we call “meaning” or “alignment” into different layers (the deeper you go, the closer you get to what’s essential).
Misalignment often comes from a gap between what we experience and what we deeply believe or desire.
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Environment: Where am I? In what conditions do I operate?
This is the most concrete level. The place where you work, schedules, tools, team, office or remote work, etc.
Example: “I work in a hypergrowth startup, in an open space, with video calls every day at 9am.”
This level can explain certain superficial discomforts (noise, overload, chaos), but not deeper unease.
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Behaviors: What do I actually do?
These are daily actions: running a meeting, writing a report, building a dashboard, responding to emails…
Example: “I spend my days correcting poorly drafted client briefs.”
Here, we observe what is being done, but not yet why it’s being done, or with what skills.
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Capabilities: What am I capable of? What are my skills?
We enter the level of aptitudes: knowing how to manage a team, negotiate, produce content, resolve conflict, show pedagogy…
Example: “I’m good at simplifying complex concepts, getting ideas across.”
This level highlights your talents and potential. But being competent isn’t always enough to feel useful.
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Beliefs and values: What do I believe? What matters to me?
We touch the foundation here: your inner drivers. What you believe in. What upsets, animates, or makes you proud.
Example: “I believe communication plays a role in ecological transition.”
When there’s conflict between a person’s values and those of the organization, misalignment begins.
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Identity: Who am I in what I do? What role do I embody?
This is the level of your “professional self,” the way you perceive yourself in your work.
Example: “I see myself as a facilitator between ideas and people.”
When your role no longer matches the image you have of yourself, discomfort sets in.
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Mission, vision, belonging: What do I serve? What is the meaning of all this?
The heart; what transcends the job and connects you to something greater: a cause, a community, a desirable future.
Example: “I do this work because I want to contribute to a culture of dialogue in organizations.”
If this purpose is absent or unclear, the entire structure of meaning can crumble.
This model shows that meaning is built from the inside out. A mundane action can become deeply satisfying if it’s connected to your values or your mission (and conversely, even a “great position” can be empty if it doesn’t speak to you at a deeper level).
This framework enables finer conversations in interviews, helping each person become an active participant in their engagement, rather than a spectator of the organization.
Practically, for a manager?
- Encourage your team members to explore their own drivers, beyond job titles and role scope.
- Ask high-level questions in interviews or team meetings: “What makes you proud in your job?,” “Where do you feel useful?,” “Who do you want to be in this project?“
- Bring to light the alignment points (or friction) between each person’s role and identity.
- Support those who are searching by helping them articulate their own meaning, without offering a ready-made mission.
This isn’t about absolving organizations of responsibility; quite the opposite. It’s about reminding everyone that in a time that rightfully values alignment, well-being, and usefulness, meaning is also, and above all, an act of personal sovereignty.