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 Up
The Ladder Lead with Purpose
From the Client: “I have a very successful career and excel in what I do. But lately I feel like I have been losing my edge. A large part of it has to do with the dwindling sense of fulfillment I obtain from my work. While I have worked hard to attain my leadership position, something is missing. I am not sure if it is time for me to change jobs, or if I am going to face the same thing elsewhere once the newness wears off. I am concerned that this will begin to impact my performance and my leadership
presence.
”From the Coach’s Corner: From the outside, you seem to have it all together. The corner office, the great job and title, and an enviable resume to show for it. But at some point that is not enough. To lead effectively, one must also learn to lead with purpose. This requires you to look beyond the “job” in what you do. Essentially, you must take it to the next level by identifying how your work is a means to a much bigger end, rather than the end in itself. Throughout history, you can identify those successful individuals who lead with purpose: Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet and the list goes on. Nevertheless, one does not need to be famous nor on Fortune’s richest people list to lead with purpose. Take for example, Pierre, an economist who spent 30-plus years working with global financial institutions. During his longstanding career, Pierre was quite effective in leading teams and efforts to bring relief to various parts of the world. But his true purpose is to bring attention to his birthplace, a small rural Caribbean village. Today, Pierre is leveraging his professional knowledge and network to start a movement encouraging those who left the village years ago to return for their retirement years and contribute to the economic development of his birthplace. So how can you lead with purpose? In essence, follow the
Three Points of Purpose:
Purpose Point #1: Prioritize What are your priorities in life? How you spend your time is often a reflection of what is truly important to you—whether you like it or not. Spend some time reflecting on what you want your priorities to be. What is important to you? What type of impact do you want to have? What imprint do you want to leave on the world? Now, take inventory of what you are currently doing. How aligned are you with your priorities? Leading with purpose requires taking stock of what’s most important to you and aligning yourself with those priorities.
Purpose Point #2: Promote Leading with purpose is not for the fearful. It is your responsibility to promote your purpose—you must learn to live it rather than just dream about it. Be bold in speaking and acting according to your purpose regardless of what others might say. If others aren’t talking about what you are doing, it probably is not big and bodacious enough! Leaders lead by example and they walk the talk. Leading with purpose requires the same
thing.
Purpose Point #3: Perspective Leading with purpose necessitates the right perspective, one that balances meeting your own needs with serving those of others. Too often, professionals reach a point of unfulfillment because their career track has been focused on self-centeredness (my life, my family, my retirement… my, my, my). While taking
care of one’s own needs is fundamental, those who lead with purpose have a more expansive perspective. They recognize that their actions, successes and efforts are to be leveraged beyond benefiting themselves. Therefore, purpose is not self-fulfilling but rather a reflection of their commitment to be of service to others. How narrow is your perspective? Effective leaders hold a balanced one. As you continue on your career trajectory, you will enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Take the time to reflect on the true purpose of your journey. Leading with purpose promises to give you the biggest reward of
all.
Muriel Maignan Wilkins is the co-founder and principal of Isis Associates
(www.isisassociates.com), an executive coaching and leadership development firm specializing in transforming emerging leaders into exceptional leaders. You can reach her at
info@isisassociates.com.
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