????眼下，許多美國公司都面臨困境，這并不是什么秘密，而且經濟困境也并不是唯一的原因。甚至連白宮也曾討論過提高工作生活平衡的必要性，以及工作場所靈活性的經濟效益，但與靈活的工作時間相比，公司還面臨一個更嚴重的問題。

????其實，真正的問題并不是要迫使人們將他們在公司、家庭和社區中的生活分開，而是如何使人們在生活的方方面面都保持精力充沛，全身心投入。在過去四年的研究中，我與我的同事們發現，優秀的領導和優秀的公司一致認為，只有員工全身心投入工作，服務于更宏大而有意義的目標，他們才能做到最好。

????商業產品批發商聯合文具公司（United Stationers）CEO迪克?古切納爾說：“如果你在為一家公司工作，而且能從工作中找到至少一部分重要的生活目標，那你就是這個世界上最幸運的人。因為活得最幸福的人通常都有自己的目標，并在為之努力。如果你在白天工作時能抱著這樣的態度，而不是說：‘我只是通過這份工作賺錢而已，我能從工作之外找到生活的目標’，它將產生非常強大的力量。”

????從工作中找到人生目標能夠帶來非常強大的力量，它會使人們超越實現工作與生活平衡這個問題，將工作與生活融為一體。這樣兩者將互相支持，相得益彰，而不再只是一個簡單的零和游戲。如果人們能將自己的工作融入生活當中，與家人和朋友分享自們的工作，他們就會充滿力量，并在工作中投入更多熱情。

將工作融入生活

????我們對古切納爾和其他30多位CEO的采訪顯示，在工作中抱有更宏大的目標，不僅會激勵員工本人，也會感染周圍的人。這些領導者將他們的決策和行為與他們的價值和信仰相融合。他們同時會借助家人、朋友和信賴的同事們的力量，保持專注和平衡。

????例如：剛剛退休的沃爾沃集團（Volvo Group）CEO雷夫?約翰森通常用他所謂的“餐桌測試”來檢驗他的決策和行為：每周六早上與家人共進早餐時，他都會自問：“解釋我這一周的成就和我所做的決定難不難？我的家人能夠理解嗎？我的話會使他們為我驕傲嗎？告訴他們這些會讓我覺得自豪嗎？”

????我們在聯合文具集團的討論中也出現了這種從員工延伸到家人的工作自豪感。聯合文具集團的宗旨是“為伙伴成功提供助力”，其中“伙伴”包括員工、客戶、供應商，以及當地社區。許多員工都認同公司的這一宗旨，紛紛參加聯合文具基金會的書包項目，幫助無力購買文具的小學生。員工的孩子也會幫助分裝書包，而在這個過程中，他們也會更深入地理解父母每天的工作。

????It's no secret that much of Corporate America is stressed — and not just because of the difficult economy. While even the White House has weighed in on the need for better work-life balance and the economic benefits of workplace flexibility, there's a much larger issue at stake here than how much flextime companies offer.

????The real issue is not about forcing people to compartmentalize their lives at work, at home, and in their communities but rather how to keep people energized and engaged in all aspects of their lives. In our research over the past four years, my colleagues and I have found that great leaders and great companies recognize that people are at their best when they are able to bring their whole selves to the job and can connect what they do at work to a meaningful larger purpose.

????Dick Gochnauer, CEO of business products wholesaler United Stationers, describes it this way: "If you are working for a company and you can find at least a key part of your life's purpose in your work, you're the luckiest person on earth. Because the people that find the most joy in life are those who have a purpose, and are fulfilling that purpose. And if you can do that during your day job rather than having to say, 'It's a day job, I am just making money, and I find purpose outside of work' … it is very, very powerful."

????Finding a sense of purpose at work is powerful because it allows people to go beyond balancing work and everything else to integrating what they do at work with their lives as a whole. In this way, the parts become mutually supportive, rather than a zero-sum game. People feel empowered when they can bring work into their life, sharing their work with family and friends, and can bring their full lives and passions into their work.

Bringing work into life

????Our interviews with Gochnauer and about 30 other CEOs suggest that having a larger purpose in work not only inspires individuals but also those around them. These leaders strive to integrate their decisions and actions with their values and beliefs. And they rely on family, friends, and trusted colleagues to help them stay centered and maintain their integrity.

????For example, Leif Johansson, recently retired CEO of the Volvo Group, uses what he calls the "kitchen table test" to measure how he is doing: At breakfast with his family on Saturday mornings, he asks himself, "How easy is it to explain what I have accomplished this week and the decisions I have made? Does my family get it? Does what I say make them proud? Does it make me proud to tell them about it?"

????Pride in the company that extends beyond employees to their families came up in our discussions at United Stationers as well. The company defines its purpose as "enabling our partners to succeed" -- with "partners" including employees as well as customers, suppliers, and local communities. Many employees connect to this shared purpose by participating in the United Stationers Foundation's backpack program, which benefits elementary school children who could not otherwise afford school supplies. Employees' children help to fill the backpacks and, in the process, gain a deeper understanding of what their parents do all day.