Purpose connects effort to impact. When engineers and consultants see how their work makes a difference, motivation, quality, and collaboration rise.
Purpose has always been the quiet engine behind motivation and innovation, but in technical services it’s often overlooked. The Power of Purpose explores how visibility, recognition, and human connection create meaning in engineering and consulting work. When teams see the impact of their work, they deliver stronger outcomes, learn faster, and stay engaged longer. This topic helps leaders and teams reconnect people to the 'why' behind their projects—showing that meaningful work isn’t sentimental, it’s a competitive advantage.
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A quick, written synopsis on a topic, no more than 1200 words.
An informative video on a subject, no more than 20 minutes long; most are under 10 minutes.
A filmed or audio interview with a professional in the AEC industry.
20 brief activities completed daily, weekly, or monthly to build habits around a topic.
A group activity designed to plan, strategize, explore, or develop procedures.
A document, spreadsheet, or drawing that supports a task or exercise.
my library units
If you'd like to contribute new units to the library, go to your dashboard under the "contribute to the library" tab. Complete the form for your unit, which could be an article, video, interview, prompt set, template or exercise. Choose up to two topics for each unit. Your contributions will show here under "my library units".
my group's library units
If you'd like to see your group contributing units to the library, encourage them to explore Twennie's topics and find ones they feel confident talking about. They can share within your group only, your organization only, or with the whole Twennie community.
my organization's library units
Organizations with a culture of learning are stronger and more successful. If you'd like to see your organization contributing units to the library, start by contributing yourself. Write articles and record videos on topics that interest you. If you have templates and exercises that have been useful to you in the past, share those, too. Your organization will follow your lead.
Twennie's library units
ARTICLE: Finding Meaning in the Work We Do
AUTHOR
Jiayi Chen
In this reflective article, marketing coordinator Jiayi Chen shares her experience leading her team through Project Meaning, a Lego-based experiment demonstrating how purpose fuels motivation. The exercise revealed how visibility, recognition, and co-creation shape meaningful work. Jiayi describes how her team began celebrating impact, collecting community stories, and involving staff in shaping narratives—actions that reignited pride and engagement.
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VIDEO: The Power of Purpose
AUTHOR
David Nguyen
When a talented employee quit, explaining she “wanted her work to mean something,” one leader set out to understand purpose in the workplace. Inspired by Dan Ariely’s Lego experiments, he replicated the study to show how visibility and acknowledgement fuel motivation. His team discovered that seeing the impact of their work—and having ownership in shaping their environment—deepened engagement and pride.
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PROMPT SET: The Power of Purpose
AUTHOR
David Nguyen
The Power of Purpose prompt set helps participants uncover what makes work feel meaningful. The first ten prompts guide self-reflection on recognition, achievement, learning, belonging, and creative expression. The next ten translate those insights into action through small, practical activities—connecting with teammates, celebrating progress, teaching others, and making invisible work visible. Together, the reflections and experiments build awareness of how meaning fuels energy, collaboration, and performance.
Purpose:
to explore how work becomes meaningful through recognition, achievement, growth, impact, legacy, connection, autonomy, fun, and creative expression—and translate those insights into daily habits
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EXERCISE: The Lego Purpose Exercise
AUTHOR
David Nguyen
The Power of Purpose exercise turns reflection into action after completing a Lego experiment on meaningful work. Teams review behaviors observed in the exercise, identify what made past projects satisfying, and sort those experiences into nine drivers—recognition, achievement, learning, impact, legacy, belonging, autonomy, fun, and creativity. For each, the template offers practical ideas to embed purpose in daily practice, from “quick-win” shout-outs to creative warm-ups.
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TEMPLATE: The Lego Purpose Exercise Template
AUTHOR
David Nguyen
The Power of Purpose template turns reflection into action after completing Twennie’s Lego experiment on meaningful work. Teams review behaviors observed in the exercise, identify what made past projects satisfying, and sort those experiences into nine drivers—recognition, achievement, learning, impact, legacy, belonging, autonomy, fun, and creativity. For each, the template offers practical ideas to embed purpose in daily practice, from “quick-win” shout-outs to creative warm-ups.
