Introduction
“Truly effective and inspiring leaders aren’t actually driven to lead people; they are driven to serve them.” ~ Simon Sinek
Are you leading work that you love in an organization you care about with people you enjoy? If so, then you have some idea of the power of purposeful leadership. Leading with purpose channels enthusiasm and zeal into an intense energy and drive. Leaders with purpose stay focused and committed – a critically important perspective in an environment filled with obstacles and distractions. Such as, let’s say, a global pandemic.
The “return phase” of the COVID-19 crisis was a good time for organisations and leaders to create more tailored responses to workplace challenges and people practices, expanding on the goodwill and camaraderie hopefully earned in earlier phases.
The return phase presented an opportunity for companies to rethink their leadership approach and employee experience in ways that respect individual differences—home lives, skills and capabilities, mindsets, personal characteristics, and other factors – while also adapting to rapidly changing circumstances. The good news is that leaders and managers that have adopted (and implemented) new strategies in listening techniques, empathetic leadership, two-way communication channels, and other technologies, can now address employee experience in a more targeted and dynamic way. And it all starts with effective leadership.
When you lead with purpose in any environment, you radiate an energy and passion for the work. Your passion impacts everyone around you. It inspires and motivates others. Those leaders have a reputation in their organisations for attracting talent to their teams and inspiring achievement—sometimes beyond what is thought possible.
These leaders have a deep and authentic emotional connection for driving mission success. They place the needs of the team and accomplishment of goals before themselves.
Attack work with a healthy sense of urgency.
This is critical for leading during times of change or uncertainty. Combating business battle fatigue and maintaining an energetic approach to the work starts at the top.
Create a productive atmosphere.
Many teams and organisations struggle with engagement, productivity, and driving results during uncertain times due to a lack of clear direction, structural and behavioural silos, and resource obstacles. But who’s fault is that? Right. So fix it.
Have a personal direction or focus.
Purpose-driven leaders typically exhibit the same drive, passion, and focused discipline in their personal lives. And everybody knows it.
Keep purpose front and centre as they make daily decisions.
If activities, projects, and initiatives do not align with the purpose and mission, they are simply a distraction and not pursued. Period.
Can visualise the impact they want to have on their organization and on others.
The ability to literally visualise the winning outcome and desired results is a fundamental necessity for leading with purpose. It gives the leader the power to clearly articulate the goal-oriented actions that must occur.
Successfully overcome obstacles in striving to achieve long-term, sustainable results.
Leading with purpose, especially while navigating the murky waters of change and uncertainty, requires resilience. Resilient thinking. Resilient behaviour. Resilient action.
Blockages to Leading with Purpose.
If you lack purpose in your work, it will show up in how you lead. Others will notice your obvious lack of direction and commitment. Those absences are likely to trigger unwillingness to contribute to group efforts, and results will suffer. But sometimes, a leader loses the initial passion they had for the business. That’s not unusual nor does it mean any ill-will. But when this happens, the leader must be self-aware enough to either step back up, or move aside.
Gathering feedback from others is crucial for improvement. If others see you as someone who manages rather than leads and inspires, you may want to take a look at the following descriptions and mark any that you believe are getting in the way of your developing a purpose that will ground your leadership style:
- You don’t interact enough with the people you need to inspire.
- You don’t reflect on what the work means and why you do it.
- The work and the goals that inspire you aren’t supported by the organization.
- You talk about “purpose” and “the why” without driving action.
- You focus on the future at the expense of the present.
Great, So Now What?
Make the time – Spend a little time each day to think about your purpose. What do you care about? How do you want to spend your time and talent?
Know the “why” – Explore the reason you want to be a leader in the first place. What are the advantages, disadvantages, rewards, and drawbacks? Understand the burden of your command. Take your thoughts to at least two people who have been in a similar position and get feedback.
Identify your uniqueness – What can you do that no one else can do? A unique set of talents can highlight or inspire a sense of purpose. Focus on those and delegate the rest.
Minimise distractions and competing priorities – While still honouring your responsibilities, explore how you can declutter your current work and hone in on core responsibilities that align with your purpose. Delegate tasks to your direct reports or share responsibilities with a peer, at least temporarily, as a means of establishing focus.
Reflect and move forward – Reflect on those times in your career when your direction was clear and you were beaming with enthusiasm. What was it about both you and your work that made that possible? How might you re-create those conditions in your current circumstances?
To develop leadership purpose, create goals in areas that put you in a role to provide service to others. Such roles aren’t necessarily tuned to your personal benefit (even though they will benefit you). These questions can help you focus on such areas:
- What do you have passion for?
- What brings you joy?
- How can you use this passion or joy to lead others in the organization?
- What types of work give you energy, and what types drain you?
- When was the last time you encountered a setback or frustration in your organization? How did you react? How did the situation turn out? What would you do differently next time?
- What epitaph would you like to see on your tombstone? What do you need to do to justify that?
- How do you want to impact your community or society.
- Now, go through these exercises, develop a plan, step back onto your battlefield, and execute, execute, execute!