When I’m working with clients, the idea of purpose often comes up. When clients are transitioning into a new role or contemplating a different career path, purpose is front and center.
People need purpose to give shape to the things they do, to give them a sense that they are contributing to something greater than themselves.
Leaders want to feel fulfilled, to wake up in the morning looking forward to the work they will do and the difference they will make. When they are not grounded in purpose, they feel unfulfilled and may have a deep sense that there’s a different contribution they could be making, either in their workplace or in life. When they find their purpose and ground themselves in it, they’re inspired and ready to support others.
I have yet to meet a leader who did not benefit from leading from their true nature and who wasn’t feeling the pull that they are meant to contribute to something greater than themselves.
It’s the same for teams that are looking for alignment and seeking to motivate their people. They want to get everyone on the same page and to tap into a deep well of motivation that only comes when people understand their path forward and are united in purpose.
How to Find Your Purpose
You may gain some insight into your purpose if you look at your confluence of competence and passion. Which skill sets come naturally to you? Which ones do you feel truly good about? Which ones are valued by the place that you work and the people in your life?
If you find something that’s at the center of these three areas, you’re likely tapping into your signature strengths. If you don’t have something perfectly aligned right away, that doesn’t mean you’re off-track. You may still be on the journey to finding and exploring and tapping into your purpose.
Once you know your purpose, you can then align the work you do with that purpose.
Grounding in Purpose Leads to Flow
When did you last experience flow state?
It’s immersive and powerful. Popularized by positive psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura, flow state describes a feeling where, under the right conditions, you become fully immersed in whatever you are doing.
According to research by McKinsey, being in flow state can increase your productivity by 5x (a 500% increase). When you are grounded in your purpose, more parts of your life begin to align. You understand how to invest your energy and you spend less energy on things that pull you away from your true north.
You can get into flow state more easily when your energy and efforts are aligned. As to how that might look for you, think about the things in life that just come easily to you, where you can do them with less effort and where time flies by. For example, I get into flow state when I’m facilitating groups. I am energized and feel like a conduit for the thoughtfulness and energy of the group around me.
If you haven’t experienced flow state in your work, you may have experienced in your personal life/interests. You may get into flow state when you’re doing something artistic or creative, or when you’re tackling a project you’re passionate about.
Think about how you could take that same feeling and apply it to something in your profession. Channel it and let it make you better.
…Because It Can Make you Better.
When you are grounded in your purpose and you know exactly what you’re aiming for, you have a higher potential for self-actualization.
When you know where you stand, you can more clearly and accurately assess the world around you. If you’re not sure about your place in the world, you may misinterpret others’ reactions or rely too heavily on them for guidance. Collaboration and an open mind are good things but you have to be truly clear about your own true north in order to remain unswayed by the voice of the loudest, most commanding speaker or by the stress of receiving multiple/conflicting directives from leadership.
When you are comfortable with yourself, you’re also less likely to conform to others’ expectations, make decisions with their approval in mind, or be swayed from what you value by economic pressure. You can reveal and use your greatest strengths because you understand how they align with your goals.
That strength makes you a better leader.
When you are clear on how you are bringing value and what you’re working toward, you free yourself up to be more creative and innovative. You’re not focused on trying to find the path; you already know where you’re going and can put all your energy toward inspiring change.
Ask yourself these questions as you contemplate your true north and work toward grounding yourself in your purpose.
- What are you extremely good at that comes easy to you?
- Identify 4-5 experiences in which you felt fully engaged and alive and achieved great results. What drew you in to these experiences?
- What strengths do you see playing out when you are successful? Examples might include being inspirational, empowering others, empathy, selling, problem solving, building teams, developing others, being a great listener and many others.
- What themes do you notice about the results achieved?
- Consider some key events from your life. How did they impact you? What did you learn from these events and how did you grow?
- If you could change something in the world, what would it be?
- What resources can help you uncover your gifts? Reading? Self-assessment? Conversations with friends, family, coaches, or guides?
Some leaders/individuals find their path very early on but for many of us, uncovering our purpose and true north can feel more elusive.
In some cases, we may have a partial understanding. We may work at a company whose values we resonate with but we may not yet know how to extend ourselves into our purpose and to unite all parts of our life and wellbeing under it.
Finding purpose is a journey of discovery and a learning process. I started mine as an 18-year-old choosing a college major and picking finance and accounting because it was a “safe” field. Over time, I recognized that I had a different purpose and different ways to find fulfillment. However, the time wasn’t wasted because I use the skills I acquired to direct my next steps, and I use them to this day as I coach leaders who are running a business or business function and who have great financial responsibility.
Don’t despair if you are not yet clear; everything you do and every step you take is part of a purposeful journey.
Our primary purpose is to grow and evolve and to show up in a way that serves others and creates conscious change in the world. Being present in our moment-to-moment experience has a profound, sometimes unrecognized impact on others.
