The 6th Biennial Meaning conference took place August 5-8 in Vancouver Canada. The theme was Creating a Psychologically Healthy Workplace, and sessions also touched on a deeper theme — the importance of meaning to the quality of our lives. Many of the sessions were recorded and recordings are available for purchase, if this brief summary makes you wish you had been there. My own presentation on articulating a shared and valued purpose at work is available in the collection.

Visiting an 87-year-old friend in a supported living facility, I have been wondering what gives meaning to life when someone is no longer able to serve others or contribute to lifetime passions or pursue a larger purpose.

Research and application often appear to live in separate worlds, but sometimes they come together in a way that shines light on both. What if a company could change direction radically by adopting …

It is time again for the biennial Meaning Conference, to be held in Vancouver BC on August 5-8. From from the announcement, “Work is more than a means of making a living or creating wealth. It can also be a higher calling that ennobles the soul, endows life with meaning, and enhances humanity. ” Read further to see who will be speaking, including two lectures open to the general public.

What would you think if your top character strength were Humility and Modesty? A friend found it rather deflating. However, we found that she had a great knack for taking herself out of the middle of the picture and focusing on the needs of others. Suddenly humility snapped into place as a valuable quality that fit. That made me curious. What is humility? Where does it come from? Who has it? When and why is it valuable? How can we build it in ourselves?

On April 16, my dear friend, Linda Frank, died in a traffic accident. I’ve gone through a wide range of emotions over the last month — numbness, sadness, humor, confusion, emptiness, … But beyond my own grief, I’ve worried about her family. What do they need? How can I best be there for them? I’ve also looked around and seen many people who want to do something.

Today, work is highly interdependent. So what happens when something goes wrong? Where is the focus? Are people pointing fingers, or are they asking questions and figuring out what they can learn? Dr. Jody Gittell of Brandeis University argues that joint problem-solving (which can start with not derogating failures) is related to the extent of the high-quality communication at the company.

Imagine you are in the hospital following surgery. You have 70 staples holding things together, and they hurt. Your nurse sees that you are in pain and offers to take out 5 of …

Let’s assume you were just promoted into a management job. You know that you got the promotion because you were an excellent performer on your previous assignment, but it used your technical skills. You are worried that you do not have all the skills you need to be an excellent manager. How do you go about learning them? Where’s the best place to start?

How would you react if an unexpected traumatic event happened at your company, university, religious group, or other organization? How would everyone around you react? How strong is the organizational resilience?
(Editorial Note: Some …