Start with who, not why
This rings hollow because nothing "started" with this person.He was dropped into a team inside a huge defense contractor to do a tiny technical task within the much larger purpose of that company. It's great that he liked and valued who he was working with, but it's not a condition he created or can advise others to create. His "who", however important it was to him, was nothing without the "why" of the company.I have a manager who is extremely people-oriented. It's nice, but mostly in the sense of not doing harm. Team meetings are full of kindness and accolades, but people aren't engaged because the meetings lack substance and purpose. We have the meetings primarily to "feel like a team", rather than to engage in the purpose the team exists for.You still need the why to generate meaning and self-respect.