When Your Leader Lacks Purpose

If you have ever worked, then you’ve probably encountered a less-than-fantastic boss or manager.

The kind of boss who wields their authority like a hammer, and seems obsessed with metrics, or politics, or anything other than supporting and developing the people they are called to lead.

Maybe you have that kind of manager. Perhaps you are right now. It's okay if you are. Most of us have been there at one point or another, and the only way to go is up.

As much as we love to hate on people who manage or lead poorly – we should acknowledge the fact that many of them have the best intentions, and genuinely don’t know any better. They may not even realize how badly they are treating people.

A bad manager can be a lovely person who simply does not [yet] know how to lead and inspire. Or deal with having authority over former peers. Or know how to navigate different expectations from above AND below.

Their lack of growth does not make you day-to-day any better – but it does allow you a lot more mental leeway to forgive, help, and support them. And in so doing – make your work with them a LOT more pleasant.

Consider the diamond. It’s brilliant, flashing light in each direction, every facet looking just slightly different than all of the others. Where from one angle it sparkles a brilliant white, from another it shines yellow, and from still others blue, red, purple, or green. There are so many different ways to look at the tiny stone and each provides a different experience – but it's still the same stone.

It can help to think of your manager or the person who’s meant to be a leader, sort of like the diamond. They too have many facets and many ways of presenting themselves. The one you see the most often isn’t the only one, and it may not be the BEST one.

The similarity goes a bit deeper.

Diamonds are formed when carbon is compressed and superheated deep inside the earth – and when first mined, they don't glimmer. Instead, they are rough, semi-opaque, and hard to distinguish – but with a little shaping and polishing, they become extraordinary.

Perhaps, the manager not currently fulfilling their potential has yet to reach the polished stage. Maybe they are still a little rough around the edges or recently began the refining process. Polishing and refining take time, and without guidance and know-how – it may take a few tries to get there.

And maybe they have not yet recognized their purpose for themselves or the purpose of your organization.

Let’s look at why so many managers may lack the polish of purpose.

There’s a Hiccup in the Process

In many organizations, the ascent to management is a familiar journey – perhaps you've seen it.

Someone is a star performer at job.

Suddenly, there is an opening for a management position.

The star performer is promoted to that role and is now managing other people doing THAT work.

That’s it, that is the whole process in a nutshell. The assumption was made that because they were great at a job, naturally, they will be good at managing other people doing that job.

In reality, that is often not the case. Being a good manager means being firm in your purpose, having great leadership, understanding organizational goals, developing talent, creating safe environments, and creating strategies, and probably a dozen other important things... a radically different skillset than whatever the original job entailed!

So, you've got this person who has been promoted above their peers, put in charge of their work, and often given little-to-no training or support on how to be a leader. When you add the fact that the vast majority of companies do not put adequate thought into what it means to have as a company or as the individuals who operate it, you have the potential for a volatile situation. Many workplaces have this problem or some variation of it. As Garry Ridge, CEO of the WD-40 company says: there’s no need for things to be unpleasant – and yet much of the time, they are.

It would be like buying an engagement ring with a dirty, misshapen milky white rock in the setting instead of a glittering diamond.

The same basic elements – but none of the polish.

And while we may have empathy for people who are IN that position – they are still making our days challenging at best and miserable at worst.

Happily, you are NOT powerless in this scenario. You can have on your team, your company, and your community, no matter what seat you currently occupy.

The first step is almost always going to be identifying your purpose.

Purpose Leads the Way

Before you can start to make changes for the better in your team or company, you need to try and figure out exactly where you stand and what you can do. Whether you are the boss or have a boss, you still have a purpose, and understanding how the decisions you make and the actions you take are guided and informed by that purpose can make all the difference in how you are perceived and what you’re able to accomplish.

How to find your purpose is a massive topic all by itself. For some help getting started, you can listen to the interviews I held with Jeff Goins about sharing our gifts with the world and Kari Enge about the value of entrepreneurial leadership. Both are considered experts in the fields of understanding your purpose and calling in the workplace.

Let’s examine two scenarios – first, what to look for if you have a manager who is not leading the way you wish they were. Second, if you are a leader who is not getting the kind of response, engagement and productivity you need from your team.

When You Have A Leader Lacking Purpose

When you are comfortable with your purpose at work, you know that there is meaning behind the contribution you are making. You sense the impact you have on others -- both the people you connect with as colleagues as well as the broader impact you are making in your community or the world.

When you HAVE this kind of overarching meaning – it can be hard to understand why everyone else… doesn’t. And it can be frustrating.

But you can't change everyone, at least not right away, or all at once. So what’s a purpose-driven follower to do?

First and foremost, remember that while you cannot change everything – you can choose what actions to take and how YOU impact other people. Double down on communicating, connecting with, and supporting your colleagues. They will notice, and you will gain satisfaction from knowing that as challenging as the work environment might be – YOU are making it better.

Talk to your colleagues about your collective purpose as you see it. Inquire how they see it from where they sit. Other people might not realize the kind of impact you have as a collective, and helping them see things the way you do – sharing a bit of your purpose can make a huge difference in how coming to work every day feels.

Finally – talk to your leader. It is not the best approach to criticize their behavior or decisions, focus on the positive. When you are having a meeting with them, explain your purpose, and ask about theirs. They may have never really thought about it in this way before. When they answer you, ask how you can help support them in achieving that purpose.

Not everyone will respond well to this – but most people probably will, and the worst that can happen is nothing changes. The BEST scenario will involve your manager starting to think about their purpose, and how to help share it with the team so that you can be working towards fulfilling it together.

If you would like some guidance and support finding and living your purpose at work – I invite you to take my 5-day email course on that topic!

When You Are The Leader Lacking Purpose

This is a slightly more challenging situation because being in a position of leadership comes with a fair amount of responsibility – and the risks can be high. You may be being judged on the level of employee engagement. If it's low, perhaps those disengaged employees blame you for their disengagement.

Begin by asking yourself, “Do I understand what my purpose is?”

If you don't – that is a great first step! Listen to the interviews linked above, and please join us in the Higher Purpose Facebook Community if you need any help or support identifying what makes you WANT to what you are called to do.

If you do know your purpose, you need to consider whether or not the decisions you are making as a leader align with your purpose. The way you make requests, give feedback, and ask for support – do they mesh with how you understand your purpose?

Do your team members share your vision? Do they understand what your team is trying to accomplish? Do you recognize that they are also on their personal journey towards purpose and that fulfilling it might mean taking actions or decisions you don't understand?

Invest time to discover the purpose of your team members.

When you know what motivates your team, and what they care about, suddenly you have a new way to communicate with them, and a better understanding of how to manage them in a way that is going to inspire rather than limit them.

This may not be easy, and you may not get it all right on the first try – but it IS possible to learn how to adapt your management style to the different people you lead AND meet your organizational goals.

Teams that are engaged perform better, report more job satisfaction, lower stress, and fewer interpersonal conflicts. Creating an organizational (or team) purpose that everyone can buy into will have lasting benefits for you as individuals, as a team, and for your company as a whole.

Remember, This Is A Process

Creating a purpose-driven team doesn't happen instantly. Yet, over time and with consistent work towards that goal – you will get there.

Remember, everyone is at a different stage on this journey. Like the diamond mentioned at the beginning of this post – it doesn't MATTER if you or your team are in your finished states – getting there takes a lot of time and effort. And once you ARRIVE there, appreciating the diversity of your facets is essential to continue flourishing there.

Each facet will reflect something slightly different than every facet, and none of them alone may be particularly impressive. It is when the different facets of one stone are combined that they truly inspiring; that's a destination that makes the journey worth the effort.

If you have enjoyed this article, I invite you to listen to the Higher Purpose Podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes, or find on my blog. I also host ongoing discussions in the Higher Purpose Community Facebook Group where we talk about finding and living our purpose. We would love for you to join us there!