The Quiet Power of Meaning

I attended a panel recently on Gen Z, work, and mental wellbeing at the Upfr( *)nt initiative 2026.

Among many interesting insights, one idea stayed with me:

Meaning cannot be imposed. It is co-created.

For a long time, professional success was measured by relatively clear markers:a promotion,a better title,a higher salary.

Today, I notice something shifting. More and more people — and not only younger generations — are looking for a deeper connection to their work. Not simply: "What will I gain?"

But: "What am I contributing to?""What am I learning?""Who am I becoming through this experience?"

In my coaching work, the most significant transitions rarely begin with the desire for a better position.

They begin when someone realizes that the story that once motivated them no longer fits.

The role may still look right.The career may still make sense.The achievements may still be there.

But the meaning has faded.

And that is often where a new chapter begins.

Perhaps this is one of the quietest yet most powerful shifts taking place in the world of work today:

Not a rejection of ambition. Not a rejection of success. But a broader definition of what success means.

One that includes growth, contribution, wellbeing, connection, and purpose.

Because in the end, people don't just want to work.

They want to feel connected to what they do.