An Introduction to Purpose Based Leadership
Why do you exist as a Company, Team, Or Leader?Defining one’s purpose is a critical aspect of any business. People need to know why you exist. I believe this is a very deep subject and we will continue to explore it throughout 2018. In the meantime, I want to introduce some basic components of purpose and look at how it can be defined at different levels. Defining purpose will give meaning to what everyone within the company does.
Purpose is a key element of motivating employees to see beyond the activities they perform on a day to day basis.
Avoid a common mistake that companies or teams make where they try to define their purpose on something like profit. If you ask the question, ‘why does your company exist?’ the answer is not profit. Yes, each business should be profitable, otherwise they will not be around long, but that is not their purpose. That is a result.
Purpose is not measured numerically in the vast majority of cases.
As I look at purpose, I see three distinct levels to the idea of why something exists. There is the Company level, the team or department level, and finally your personal purpose level. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.
Company Purpose
This is straight-forward, the overall Company WHY. What does your company stand for and why does it exist? Everything that happens within the company should tie back to the overall purpose and WHY. The Company’s vision is how they bring that purpose to life.Example of Company PurposeWe believe in creating a better everyday life for the many people. (IKEA)
Departmental Purpose
The team you are a part of will have its own purpose as well. It connects to the company purpose. In many cases different business units or departments will need to define their own ‘why’ so people can be connected to something a little closer to them. How do they support the ‘company why’ through what they are doing on a day to day basis in their role? I believe that the larger the company, the more the teams within it need their own purpose. Everyone still needs to know the ‘bigger why’, but it may be easier to connect the work they do each day to the team’s or department’s purpose.Example of Departmental PurposeWe believe in delivering products that have zero defects so our customers do not have to worry about the safety of their children when they use the product we make.
Personal Person
This is your WHY as a leader. It may connect in some ways to your company and departmental why, but it stands alone. Your personal purpose will stay with you regardless of where you work. This is a very personal piece of leadership, one that you need to define for yourself and continue to refine over time. Recognizing your purpose will help determine the actions you take in leading your team each day.You may find that you will continue to hone your purpose as your progress through your career changing in the scope and reach of your leadership, but not your core principles. Be specific and concise. Your personal purpose should be a sentence or two that defines who you are as a leader and what you stand for through your actions.Example of Personal PurposeI believe in developing leaders that are empowered to make decisions on their own based on the support and development I provide.The common theme to purpose based leadership is utilizing the WHY for your company, department, or yourself as the foundation for how you lead your team. Ultimately it will create a path that starts with WHY you do the work you do, explains how you will get that work done, and finally defines what it is you do for the associates and customers. Simon Sinek speaks to this in his book, ‘Start With Why’ and the excellent TED Talk, ‘How Great Leaders Inspire Action.’By starting with purpose you will always have an anchor point to come back to if priorities get confused or when decisions need to be made for strategy and planning reasons. It will provide clarity for everyone when considering options for the direction they will take.How does having purpose define your priorities as a leader? Click here or on the comments button above to share your thoughts.