You’re So Fly: Justin Jones-Fosu

Meet Justin Jones-Fosu, founder of Work. Meaningful. and a Flywheel member on a mission to bring heart back into the workplace. In this You’re So Fly Q&A, Justin shares how curiosity, connection, and purpose drive everything he does—from boardrooms to classrooms around the world.

1. What Inspired You to Create Work. Meaningful., and How Does It Help Organizations Enhance Employee Engagement and Inclusion?

I started Work. Meaningful. 18 years ago, because I noticed something odd—people were showing up to work, but their hearts weren’t. And full confession: I was one of them. I was productive, but not purposeful. So, I set out to close that gap. Work. Meaningful. helps individuals and organizations rediscover the “why” behind their work and lead in a way that actually means something. We do it through energizing keynotes, training, and interactive learning that make inclusion and engagement more than just HR buzzwords—they become lived values that drive real culture change.

2. Your Work Centers Around Engaging With Different Perspectives—Why Do You Think This Is So Important in Today’s World?

Because if we only talk to people who think like us, we end up echoing ourselves—and let’s be honest, we’re not that interesting. We live in a beautifully diverse world, and engaging with different perspectives is how we grow, lead, and connect better. It’s not about agreeing—it’s about being respectfully curious. That’s the core of my book, I Respectfully Disagree. One of the most personal examples? Rebuilding a relationship with my father, who was absent for much of my life. Instead of confronting him with anger, I led with curiosity—and what I discovered changed everything. If we can do that in families, we can definitely do it at work.

3. At Your Recent You’re So Fly Session, You Introduced Us to the Power of Three. Can You Share More About How This Approach Helps Foster Deeper Connections?

Absolutely! The Power of Three is like small talk with a graduate degree. Instead of stopping after one question, you ask two or three follow-ups to go deeper. It’s how you move from “What do you do?” to “What’s something that brings you joy right now?” or “What’s something you’re proud of but rarely share?” It’s a game changer. When you do this, people feel heard—not just nodded at. The real magic? You uncover things you never expected, like shared experiences, random hobbies, or the fact that the quiet guy in Finance used to be a backup dancer for Beyoncé (true story…okay, maybe not that true).

4. You Also Lead the Work Meaningful Foundation, Which Supports Educational Initiatives in Africa and the U.S. What Impact Do You Hope to Make Through This Work?

This one hits home. As someone with roots in both Ghana and the U.S., I believe education shouldn’t be a privilege—it should be a right. Through the Work Meaningful Foundation, we’ve built a middle school and a clean water project in my father’s village in Ghana. And we’re just getting started. Our mission is to support educational initiatives in under-resourced communities in Ghana and the United States, and our vision is bold: a world where every child has access to quality education. Because when a child has a classroom, they also gain confidence, opportunity, and a chance to shape the world.

5. What’s a Simple Yet Powerful Way Professionals Can Bring More Meaning to Their Daily Work?

Use the Meaningful Day Template—it’s like a to do list, but for your soul. It starts with the 4 P’s:

• Perspective: What am I looking forward to today?
• Personal: What’s 1–3 things I can do for me?
• Professional: What 1–3 things will actually matter at work?
• People: What are 1-3 things I can do to connect or serve someone today?

The goal isn’t to max out each category every day (unless you’re a productivity ninja). It’s to build a rhythm of meaningful intention. Some days it might be 3 Personal, 1 Professional, and 2 People. Other days, the reverse. The point is: live on purpose, not on autopilot.

6. What’s Next for You and Work. Meaningful.? Any Exciting Projects or Goals on the Horizon?

Oh, we’ve got some good stuff coming! We’re expanding our Work and Lead to a Different Beat experiences, launching a fresh series of micro-courses designed to help leaders grow without falling asleep in front of another Zoom. The big headline? We’re launching the Work Meaningful Academy in Q3—think bite-sized learning with big-time impact.

On the Foundation side, we’re focused on completing a technology lab for the middle school by Summer 2026, and then (drumroll…) breaking ground on a brand-new elementary school building in the same village.