Purpose; the path of authentic leadership

Purpose is another leadership dimension that gets less airtime than the more obvious and ubiquitous topics, but is fundamental to developing success and impact.

“If a [wo]man knows not to which port [s]he sails, no wind is favourable” - Seneca [and James]

Why purpose is important

Clarity on the purpose of your business, projects and actions helps you to focus on the most important things, unify and align others on these same outcomes, and helps the boat go faster in the right direction. Making the boat go faster in the wrong direction is detrimental to progress.

Developing clarity of purpose for yourself is just as important. This is unique to you and also not fixed - it will change and evolve through your career and your life. The more clear you are on meaning and what drives you, the more effective you will be and the more happy you will be.

Many people find themselves at a point in their career where they have drifted away from their purpose, or more frequently discover their purpose along the way. This often becomes an inflection point where the decision is to stick with the path already trodden and make the best of it, or make a change and try and get closely aligned to purpose and meaning.

Depending on your philosophy, you could see purpose as something you were destined to do, or maybe that purpose evolves and develops through your experiences. Either way, I'm sure you can understand that knowing what it is and aligning with it is a good thing.

Understanding and aligning with your purpose simplifies things greatly, and connects you with your authenticity in a way that shines through your leadership interactions.

Starting with why

Sinek's Golden Circle[1] framework explains that inspiring leaders and organisations operate on three levels: Why, How, and What. Most leaders communicate from the outside in (starting with What), but truly impactful leaders start from the inside out, beginning with Why.

???- Why: This is your purpose. It’s the reason you exist or the cause you believe in.

???- How: This is the process or unique approach that differentiates you.

???- What: These are the tangible products or outcomes that result from your work.

Simon Sinek advises that leaders should articulate their Why clearly and consistently. For example, a leader in healthcare might define their Why as “to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

In order to articulate your Why, you know your Why. Being as clear on this as you can to yourself will help you explain and demonstrate it to others. This and your ability to act in alignment with this purpose makes you a much more effective leader.

This model is incredibly effective when applying it to a business or product you are creating. Start with the Why, and then when you and others are hooked on the Why, the how and the what soon follow. It allows you to focus on what is most important, and is a great guiding model for business owners to create successful companies.

It is just as useful for us to use as individuals to guide our career decisions and set a direction for our life so that we will become more fulfilled, engaged and motivated. Start with Why for yourself, and connect with your purpose and life meaning.

Connecting with meaning

In Logotherapy[2], Viktor Frankl builds on existential analysis, Kierkegaard's "will to meaning" and the belief that the primary drive in life is not pleasure or power, but the discovery of meaning. While this may not be universally true, it is observably true that a lot of people can harness significant drive and motivation through meaning, and this can be a very positive and empowering way to align and motivate ourselves. This insight can be used to help us consider how we motivate and lead ourselves in work and career.

Logotherapy outlines three sources of meaning:

?????1. Creating work or doing deeds

?????2. Experiencing something or encountering someone

?????3. Choosing one’s attitude in the face of unavoidable suffering

Frankl’s philosophy suggests that leaders can find purpose not only in success but in the ways they respond to adversity and guide others through challenging times.

This insightful model helps us see practically how we can derive meaning from the work we do, and this perhaps also helps us reflect on how our purpose could develop through time and through the things we create, the experiences we have and the things we suffer.

We enjoy creating something new which excites us and develops into a passion.

We experience something that moves us and this registers the importance of this and allows us to connect with this as a cause or something we wish to share with others.

We experience adversity or suffering, and this aligns us with the drive to prevent others from experiencing this, or alleviate the pain they feel while experiencing it.

Finding and refining your purpose

Perhaps the most useful and powerful model in this dimension is Ikigai (生き甲斐). The concept of Ikigai translates to “purpose of life”, and is best depicted as a venn diagram with four overlapping circles:

1. What you love?
2. What the world needs?
3. What you are good at?
4. What you can be paid for

Finding the intersection of these four circles helps you find your true purpose. Understanding your Ikigai allows you to align your actions, career and focus with your personal strengths, what matters to you, and what is valued by others, and this will magnify your personal success, happiness, and your contributions to society.

Some people never even look up from the grindstone, or consider topics like purpose to be too abstract or wishy washy to bother with. It takes all types, and I'm sure some of these people still very much enjoy their lives anyway. Some people awake mid-way through a career and realise they are well off track from their Ikigai, probably sitting in the intersection of what they are good at and what they can be well paid for, but a long distance from the other two.

Where are you in this Ikigai diagram at the current moment in time?

The ideal is to align almost everything you do with the central zone, meeting all four of these criteria and allowing you to do what you love and what you're good at while being well paid and making an impact on the world. Realistically I don't think eight billion people can achieve this. The closer you get though, the better your life and happiness tends to be.

A lot of people don't find their way to their core Ikigai, but find a compromise that works well for them. They may find a profession that they excel at and is well paid, and the wealth this creates means they can spend time doing the things they love and also giving back and making a contribution in their spare time. This can be very fulfilling and a great way to live your life.

If possible though, you are likely to feel more fulfilled and happy in your career if you can align your work, role and achievements with your Ikigai.

Finding your Ikigai

Few people just find themselves nicely in the centre of these four circles, but you can definitely strive, search and explore towards it.

Depending on the stage of your career you are at and where you are on the diagram currently, you may wish to choose different activities and explorations to hone in on that illusive centre.

People in early career stages may have a clear view on what drives them and what they are passionate about, and if so this is great and certainly not the norm. In this event, it is probably a good idea to pursue your passion with an open mindset and a watchful eye on how it could develop into something that the world needs and can create value for you as well as others. Most people in early stages will be much less clear on what their Ikigai might be, which is understandable. I would advocate a curious and experimentation approach to get out there and experience and understand different options, paths, and most importantly how they make you feel when you do them. This won't guarantee a path to the centre, but it will give you much greater chances of making good decisions and finding yourself much clearer to the centre in mid career. One insight I see that applies quite frequently here - don't blindly take advice on career decisions from parents or mentors from previous generations on what careers to follow or decisions to make. They will be well meaning and based on their real experience, but the world of work is very different to how it was 20 years ago, and their advice might well be more based on previous than current times. Definitely listen, reflect and take on board what they suggest, but make your own decisions based on what you see, hear, feel, and based on your real life experimentation and experience.

People in mid career may have found it or close to it, and be very fortunate, or if not they are most likely to be hovering in the profession area with a good salary, doing a job they have built a good competence in, but may not feel the work aligns with what they love, or what they feel they would like to contribute to the world. This is the classic mid-life crisis position, which many more people find themselves in that you might expect. It may not result in buying a motorbike and going vegan, but to some extent many people consider a mid-career shift to try and move towards something they feel more values-aligned with, or that they will be proud to tell their grandchildren about or reflect on from their death bed. I would counsel that there are more options here than we tend to realise, and even more in the current world than there have been in recent decades. There are many paths to shift into something more centred to explore; develop a side hustle, study and learn something new, connect with new communities, try something you've always wanted to. There may be a decision point down the line where you need to take a call, but start by experimenting and exploring, and see what sticks. Others in mid career might find themselves on the other side of Ikigai, with a clear mission but without the skills or financial security that they need. Again we are in an abundant situation for knowledge, learning and opportunity. You can build your skills to get good at what you need to through a wealth of channels, and with the right value focus you can turn this mission into something that gives both you and the world value.

Even in late career, there is still potential to pivot and find that Ikigai. In fact, this is one of the easiest times to do so, because you know more about what you really want to do, what you're good at, and your world experience will help you learn how to commercialise it and land the impact you intend. If you've been sacrificing meaning for money, you should also have enough of a cushion to experiment safely and take some risks.

Finding your Ikigai helps to bring everything into alignment, unlocks your potential, and gives you a clear trajectory and direction. It can be hard to find, but once found it makes everything more simple. It won't necessarily be easier; life is hard and reaching higher for a bigger purpose might need even more tough action and decisions, but the rewards become far greater, and when you are aligned with your purpose, knowing what to do becomes more obvious and intuitive.

Find your purpose; align with it; go all the way.

[1] Sinek, S. (2009). Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Portfolio.

[2] Frankl, V. E. (1959). Man’s Search for Meaning. Beacon Press.

[3] Garcia, H., & Miralles, F. (2017). Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. Penguin Books.

This content by James Carter is licensed under CC BY 4.0