My previous blog article was on motivation. In particular, it was a conversation about how intrinsic motivation is better at achieving peak performance than extrinsic motivation. In putting that blog together, a word that particularly stuck out was 'Purpose'.
A few weeks back, I heard that word in another context, asking what our Purpose as a business was. It was a fabulous question, as so many business gurus get so stuck up and mechanical on Vision and Mission blah-blah-blah, but few ever speak about Purpose. So, why do you do what you do?
On Purpose, the academic Roger Fisher says that there is a fundamental human need for guiding ideals that give meaning to our actions, a fundamental search for meaning. Returning to the above business gurus, many may argue that the Vision encapsulates the Purpose. Well that may be so in some instances, but to me, a Purpose is at a much higher level of abstraction than Vision. The reason for this is that while Vision may apply to the business, Purpose applies to every waking minute of our existence, and it is an interaction between so many things, like abilities, passion, skills and talent. In this context, Ictodd wrote a great piece in her blog about the various aspects of Purpose, and is worth a read.
The thing is, I think great leaders are born when they have a clear sense of Purpose, something that is so steady that it is not dulled by failure, mishaps, misfortune, naysayers. It becomes the single guiding light that directs all their actions, and with such focus, they become hugely successful, in spite of adversity. Nelson Mandela comes to mind as but one of many, many worthy examples of perseverance in our time. He spent 27 years in jail, and yet his Purpose did not for one second grow dull.
I've had to think very carefully about my personal Purpose. As rapidly emerging opportunities of global proportions drive me to enthusiastically plot a brave new direction for my career, my Purpose seems to be becoming less about the normal measures of recognition, achievement and success that have flavoured my résumé to date, and more about measures more aligned to enabling the success of others, of individuals, businesses and other bodies (such as increasing my involvement in Qhubeka), some of which is even implied in my mentorship activities. Interestingly though, continued personal success and achievement by whatever measure will flow strongly and directly from this. And the more I think about it, the more I realise that one of the most extraordinary personal measures of success of this new direction will be contentment, contentment in the knowledge that I will have made a difference to the lives of others, whether in a personal or a business capacity.
So this outlines the increasing importance of developing a clearer sense of Purpose in my life, and where it is taking me in terms of the further development of my career. Now, why do you do what you do?
A few weeks back, I heard that word in another context, asking what our Purpose as a business was. It was a fabulous question, as so many business gurus get so stuck up and mechanical on Vision and Mission blah-blah-blah, but few ever speak about Purpose. So, why do you do what you do?
On Purpose, the academic Roger Fisher says that there is a fundamental human need for guiding ideals that give meaning to our actions, a fundamental search for meaning. Returning to the above business gurus, many may argue that the Vision encapsulates the Purpose. Well that may be so in some instances, but to me, a Purpose is at a much higher level of abstraction than Vision. The reason for this is that while Vision may apply to the business, Purpose applies to every waking minute of our existence, and it is an interaction between so many things, like abilities, passion, skills and talent. In this context, Ictodd wrote a great piece in her blog about the various aspects of Purpose, and is worth a read.
The thing is, I think great leaders are born when they have a clear sense of Purpose, something that is so steady that it is not dulled by failure, mishaps, misfortune, naysayers. It becomes the single guiding light that directs all their actions, and with such focus, they become hugely successful, in spite of adversity. Nelson Mandela comes to mind as but one of many, many worthy examples of perseverance in our time. He spent 27 years in jail, and yet his Purpose did not for one second grow dull.
I've had to think very carefully about my personal Purpose. As rapidly emerging opportunities of global proportions drive me to enthusiastically plot a brave new direction for my career, my Purpose seems to be becoming less about the normal measures of recognition, achievement and success that have flavoured my résumé to date, and more about measures more aligned to enabling the success of others, of individuals, businesses and other bodies (such as increasing my involvement in Qhubeka), some of which is even implied in my mentorship activities. Interestingly though, continued personal success and achievement by whatever measure will flow strongly and directly from this. And the more I think about it, the more I realise that one of the most extraordinary personal measures of success of this new direction will be contentment, contentment in the knowledge that I will have made a difference to the lives of others, whether in a personal or a business capacity.
So this outlines the increasing importance of developing a clearer sense of Purpose in my life, and where it is taking me in terms of the further development of my career. Now, why do you do what you do?
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