The Power of Purpose AND Articulating it Well

Leading is not the same as being the leader. Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you—not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to. Simon Sinek on Leadership

"You have to repeat the command back to me verbatim, so I know you heard me correctly." My Officer of the Deck (OOD) requested of me as I was standing watch for the first time on the bridge of USS OAK HILL. I was Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) and the OOD was responsible for driving the ship by direction of the Commanding Officer (CO). Since the CO could not be on the bridge at all times he designated a few officers he trusted to drive in his place. I was in training to become one of those people - that the CO would eventually trust with the driving of the ship. One of my first lessons was not precisely the fact that I needed to repeat commands back to people as they gave them to me, but rather, that I needed to give people a reason why I asked them to do something when time permitted. Had he omitted the reason why I need to repeat commands back to him I likely would have still done it - for a while. Eventually, I'm sure it would slip. I say this because I have received countless orders that have slipped because I didn't know why I was doing them. I would follow many orders blind, and, at times this was absolutely necessary. But, the best leaders I have ever followed, the ones I would run into battle with, are the ones who took the time to give me purpose in my work, who gave me a why and taught me how to me believe in it. The leaders who deliberately scheduled time to talk about purpose. These are the leaders I look back on today and try to emulate.

In the Navy you don't have to give people a reason why they should do something. In fact many people don't. There is a culture that encourages people to follow orders once they are given without asking why. This culture naturally supports those who not only do not give reasons why people should do what they ask but also gives a foothold to those who argue that giving a reason is poor leadership. They say "People should always do what you say and you should never have to give a reason, they are called orders for a reason - follow them." But, even though that culture exists, some people understand that humans desire purpose, in fact they thrive on it. They perform much better when they know why they are doing what they are doing and even more so when they believe in that why. That desire for purpose also exists outside the Navy. I believe that wherever satisfied and engaged people work, purpose must also live; and where purpose lives, so does a leader.

Today, my role as it relates to others I work with, is not so different than what my role was in the Navy. In the Navy, I was an officer with a title of "x". The Navy gave me some equipment, some sailors, and some mission and told me to execute. I was responsible for training the sailors, maintaining the equipment, coming up with the plan to accomplish the mission and most importantly, overcoming obstacles.

Today, as a sales person, I have no direct reports. I am not held accountable by the business for the success or failure of the people I work with. No one must follow my orders or face consequences - I can't make anyone do anything. I can't order people to repeat what I told them back to me. I can't require others to give me a report on anything without reason. If I want to be exceptionally effective I have to inspire people to work with me. To do that, I need to know why we do what we do and be able to articulate that message in such a way that it inspires action. In short, I need to be leading.

So, you might be wondering why I said that my job today is just like my job in the Navy. In the Navy people had to follow my orders and in my sales role they don't. But, in both jobs I have to inspire or we don't move the needle towards our vision. That is the ultimate common denominator that gets the required results - inspire people towards a vision. Whether people have to follow your directions or not is irrelevant, you still must inspire action. Whether you are a manger and have people that have to do what you say or an officer and you have sailors that must follow orders the spirit and intent with which people execute their tasks makes the difference between checking boxes and going through the motions vs. changing the world and leaving a life-changing and permanent imprint on the people your work with and creating a legacy.

There are very few people who I would truly follow but, those that make the list are people that have proven to me that more often than not, they are locked and loaded, they are fighters, masters of their minds, and they know why they are headed where they are headed and they have an uncanny ability to attract like-minded people. Those are the people that end up changing the world, the crazies, the fighters, the fearless, the brave, the visionaries.

These are the best steps for success I have come up with when trying to change the world with others...

1. Define your vision. What do you believe? Where are you going? Why do you exist? Why does your team exist? Why do you wake up and go to work and why should anyone care? One of my favorite vision statements comes from Apple, see it here: Apple Vision.
2. Articulate your vision. Practice. Practice. Practice. Write about it. Talk about it. Tell your friends and co-workers about it. Record a video of yourself describing it. How you say what you say is just as important as what you say. If you stumble and mumble through your inspirational discussions with others, it doesn't exactly evoke confidence.
3. Revise and revisit. The idea in your head of what your vision is will not change. But how you describe it and articulate it will. We change every day and are influenced by the people we meet and the things we see and do. This will cause us to change the way we talk and what we believe. It's okay to change the way you talk about your vision, the real vision is the picture you have in your mind.