Guest contributor Ben Renshaw
At the time of writing we are in the foothills of Coronavirus (COVID-19). In this time of unprecedented change, everyone’s lives have been impacted in ways that we cannot yet comprehend including:
– The health impact of physical illness, possible death and the mental health impact of isolation, anxiety and fear (World Health Organization Mar 2020).
– The economic disruption across the world. (Reeves, Martin. Carlsson-Szlezak, Philipp. Swartz, Paul. Mar 2020).
– The social impact of enhanced capacity and flexible deployment of staff, easing of legislative and regulatory requirements, containing/slowing the virus and managing the deceased. (Department of Health & Social Care. Mar 2020)
Purpose has come of age
In comparison to this global crisis focusing on purpose may seem to have little point, however I would suggest that purpose has come of age. When fear, anxiety, depression, uncertainty, ambiguity and unpredictability are running higher than at any point in living memory what anchors you? What sustains you beyond survival? Purpose is your reason for existence. It is the essence of who you are and why you do what you do. It acts as your internal compass guiding you in the direction you want to go. Purpose is an aspirational reason for being. It is a deep conviction about what is most important. It has a timeless quality, which is beyond circumstance and informs the meaning and direction of your life. Purpose shapes your mindset providing a framework for decision-making.
Before COVID-19 there was a growing movement in the workplace focused on purpose beyond profit. In March 2019, a poll for Fortune Magazine showed that 41% of Fortune 500 CEOs said solving social problems should be “part of their core business strategy.” In July 2019, a survey by New Paradigm Strategy Group, for Fortune Magazine noted that 64% of Americans said a company’s “primary purpose” should be “making the world better.”
Then in August 2019, the Business Roundtable in America announced a new purpose for their corporation and tossed the old one into the rubbish. The new statement is 300 words long, and shareholders aren’t mentioned until word 250. Before that, the group refers to creating “value for customers,” “investing in employees,” fostering “diversity and inclusion,” “dealing fairly and ethically with suppliers,” “supporting the communities in which we work” and “protecting the environment.” (Murray 2019)
Personal purpose
From a more personal perspective Bill Gates is someone who is passionate about purpose and has referenced it in several occasions over the years. In 2001, Gates’ good friend Warren Buffett invited him to speak to a group of business leaders about what he and Melinda and were learning on their foundation trips. While speaking about global health that day, “I was energized,” Gates recalls. “When ideas excite me, I rock, I sway, I pace — my body turns into a metronome for my brain.” Gates ended up retiring from Microsoft “almost a decade earlier than I had planned,” he writes, adding: “The 2001 speech was a step, a private moment, on the way to that decision.” It was “the day I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” (Elkins 2019)
In Oprah’s latest book, The Path Made Clear, the media mogul describes the moment she discovered her purpose. It was August, 1978 and while interviewing Tom Carvel (of Carvel ice cream fame) and a soap opera actor on the show, she writes: “I felt lit up from inside, like I had come home to myself…I was energized in a way that fuelled every cell of my being.” She went on to impart one of the many lessons that line the poetic pages of the book. “Your life is not static. Every decision, setback, or triumph is an opportunity to identify the seeds of truth that make you the wondrous human being that you are,” she writes. “I’m not talking just about what you do for a living. When you pay attention to what feeds your energy, you move in the direction of the life for which you were intended.” (Schwartz, 2019)
I believe that part of your life’s journey is to discover your purpose and your life’s joy is to live it. Why? Because you will connect with your truth about what is most important, most meaningful and most significant to you. Once you have clarity about your purpose you are in an authentic position to shape your work, life and relationships accordingly.
How to find your purpose
The discovery of personal purpose requires willingness, open-mindedness and an intense curiosity. It is a reflective process supported by some simple but soul-searching steps to allow clarity to emerge. For those of you that thrive on logic, quick thinking and making snap judgements you will need to suspend you typical thinking. Purpose emanates from your head, heart and guts. To find your purpose take the following three steps:
| Step 1
Identify peak moments, or memorable chapters when you have been in flow. |
Step 2
Identify key themes associated with each moment or chapter and why they were so meaningful for you? |
Step 3
Recognize the linkages between your big themes to help define your purpose |
|
|
|
To provoke your own exploration here are a couple of examples of my coaching clients in their process to discover purpose:
| Client | Step 1
Identify peak moments, or memorable chapters when you have been in flow. |
Step 2
Identify key themes associated with each moment or chapter and why they were so meaningful for you? |
Step 3
Recognize the linkages between your big themes to help define your purpose |
| John |
|
|
Linkage: Making change happen in a dynamic way through people
Purpose: To be a creator of opportunity |
| Suzanne |
|
|
Linkage: Making progress in creative ways
Purpose: Achieving the impossible |
The FAQs
Once you have spent time exploring your purpose share it with someone who knows you well to deepen your thinking. The following are some of the frequently asked questions I get asked in the quest for purpose:
Q: How do I know if I have found my purpose?
Some of the tell-tale signs include having a strong emotional connection with the insight that emerges; having a sense of coming home to a truth you already know; being intellectually stimulated by the idea; being internally motivated by the concept and being inspired to follow it.
Q: Does my purpose have to be a pithy statement?
No. My encouragement is to connect with the meaning of the words that emerge, rather than over-think them.
Q: Is simplicity good?
I am a big advocate of simplifying complexity. For instance, I have coached people who arrived at happiness as a purpose but thought it was too simplistic. I believe that happiness is one of life’s biggest goals, but the key is finding what it means to you.
Q: Does my purpose change?
My humble point of view is no it doesn’t if you arrive at your core ‘truth’. What does change is the application of purpose throughout the various stages of your life. For instance, how your purpose impacts family will fluctuate subject to what’s going on in your family situation. How your purpose translates at work will change subject to different needs.
Q: Is purpose linked to circumstance?
I believe that purpose transcends circumstance and that one way of knowing if you are on purpose or not is the consistency of it beyond changing circumstances.
So at a time when our lives are being disrupted beyond recognition going on a journey to find your sense of purpose will bring you back to what matters most helping you to navigate the path ahead.
ABOUT BEN RENSHAW
Website: https://benrenshaw.com/
View Ben Renshaw’s LinkedIn profile, or follow him on Twitter.
Learn more about purpose
Purpose
What is your purpose? This is probably the single most important question you can ask yourself and the answer will shape your future. However, it’s not always straightforward. We are led to believe that our purpose is connected with how much we achieve, the accumulation of possessions, or attaining status in society. Nothing could be further from the truth. In Purpose, thought leader Ben Renshaw provides the guidance and tools required to discover and lead with real purpose.
As the author of eight books, who has helped many companies and leaders make a transformation in their working lives from Coca Cola to Heathrow, IHG, Sainsburys, Argos and more, Renshaw gives compelling insight into purposeful leadership at a deep and intuitive level. What if you had an internal compass guiding your decision making? Or if you were clear about the reason for doing what you do? What if you were in touch with the meeting point between your passion and talent. This is what your purpose offers; you unlock the necessary skill-set to fulfil your leadership potential and thrive in today s complex and disruptive world.
Rehumanizing Leadership
The rehumanization of leadership has become one of the most pressing issues of our times. This book offers an antidote to the linear and fragmented leadership models that emerged out of the industrial age.
The authors make a compelling case for purpose, empathy and caring to become the strategic driving forces for organizations in a disruptive and complex world. This book provides you with the simple tools and the mindset that you need to lead your organization into the 21st century.
One Life
Never before in history have, we been more educated, wealthier, and lived longer with more opportunities in life. Conversely, we have never been more stressed, anxious, depressed or lonely. In One Life, the philosopher and business executive Morten Albæk investigates this paradox and the absurdity that all of the world’s impressive socio-economic advancements have not been translated into more existential wellbeing.
It is critical to understand why those of us, especially in prosperous countries with high living standards, continue to get sick, particularly due to work-related stress and poor leadership. The cure is not more ‘work-life balance’, but that we stop separating our persona into a working human being and private human being, and instead see ourselves as one human being with one life. That one life should be as meaningful as possible; it is meaning – not happiness – that is the most important basic ingredient for the sustainability of our lives, our businesses and our society
Comments are closed