Issue #31 - Purpose over Popularity

"I had a purpose before anyone had an opinion."

Read that again. That quote comes from Jalen Hurts during his media day appearance before playing—and winning—the Super Bowl as the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Think about his journey. Back in 2018, he was benched in the National Championship Game, then demoted and forced to transfer to another team. A few years into his professional career, he led the league in interceptions. The next season, he got injured. Then, in 2025, he rewrote the playbook as the Most Valuable Player in one of the most lopsided Super Bowl performances in recent history.

How?

He gave us the answer in that simple yet powerful quote. When you're locked in, when your purpose is clear—there isn’t much you can’t overcome.

So how do you stay locked in when the setbacks come?

For me, it started with an idea.

Finding Purpose:

When I left government, an easy path was waiting for me. The well-paying executive role. The stability. The predictability. On paper, it made perfect sense.

But in 2020, there was too much going on for me to just focus on myself. I wanted to build something bigger that had more meaning, more impact. I also knew I wasn’t starting a nonprofit. Or, in the words of Kevin Hart, “The way my bank account is set up, the thing is…”

So I tested my ideas the only way I knew how—by bringing them to people who would tear them apart. Three different concepts, three different skeptical audiences. No sugarcoating. I needed to hear why they wouldn’t work.

And they let me have it.

After getting my ideas shredded by people who had no problem telling me exactly why they wouldn’t work, the outcomes looked like a garage sale—random, scattered, and picked apart. But as I sifted through what was left, I started seeing patterns and found the pieces that still had value. After a bit of reframing, when I put them together, they formed the fabric for how I wanted to spend my time.

If I was going to fall in love with an idea, it had to be something that would scale and that others could get behind.

Create 1,000 jobs.

It was big enough to be meaningful. Simple enough for others to understand. Clear enough that people didn’t have to overthink whether they wanted to be part of it. They just had to decide if they believed in me.

And that became the foundation—and motivation—for everything that followed.

What Leading Without Purpose Looks Like

My way is just one example of applying thoughtfulness to an idea that you want others to follow on your journey. But when you skip this step, eventually the cracks begin to show. Here’s what happens when leadership lacks deeper conviction:

1. Leadership Becomes Transactional

You lean on what’s easiest, safest, or most politically acceptable—missing the chance to inspire people and move a mission forward. People feel it.

2. Short-Term Thinking Takes Over

Purpose-driven leaders think in years, even decades. Leaders without purpose? They think in days, maybe weeks. They chase quick wins, avoid hard decisions, and hesitate to invest in the long term. The result? Progress that never compounds, and they struggle to survive the present.

3. Hollow Decisions Create Fractured Teams

Wavering at the first sign of resistance leads to misalignment. When priorities keep shifting, people start checking out—sticking around only until something better comes along.

4. The Work Feels Like a Burden

Challenge and opportunity are two sides of the same coin. Without purpose, everything feels heavier. With it, resistance becomes fuel, not friction.

Staying True When Everything is Changing

Now for the Varsity Stuff. Finding purpose is one thing. Holding onto it when the world shifts? That’s the real test.

Here are my favorite reminders for when the journey get tough:

• Lock in the core, flex the strategy. Adapt tactics, but don’t abandon values.
• Resist the seduction of trends. Not every pivot is progress—some are just distractions.
• Surround yourself with people who will check you. The best teams don’t just support you—they hold you accountable. Inside and outside of your profession.
• Stay rooted in the work, not the noise. When purpose drives execution, results make the loudest statement.

The goal is to filter change through the right lens—to adjust the strategy, not the standard.

When you adapt to conditions and move with the times, you preserve your convictions instead of letting external pressures dictate your internal compass.

The Entry Ticket to Leadership

True leaders don’t wait for permission to lead or make decisions based on applause. The question isn’t so much are you leading?—it’s are you leading with purpose?

Because if you’re not, sooner or later, you’ll find yourself lost—not in your own convictions, but in the opinions of others.

And that’s no way to lead.

?