Leadership Tip

How to foster a sense of purpose

We all want to find meaning in what we do. As a leader, you can help your team foster this inner sense of purpose by asking them a few simple questions:

  1. What are you good at? What do you take on because you believe you’re the best person to do it? What have you been noticed for throughout your career? The idea here is to help people identify their strengths.
     
  2. What do you enjoy? In a typical working week, what do you look forward to doing? These questions help people find or rediscover what they love about work.
     
  3. What feels most useful? Which work outcomes make you proudest? Which of your tasks are most critical to the team or organisation? The answers can highlight the inherent value of certain work.
     
  4. What creates a sense of forward momentum? How is your work today getting you closer to what you want? The point here is to show people how their current role helps them advance toward future goals.

The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme and adapted from Five Questions to Help Your Employees Find Their Inner Purpose by Kristi Hedges. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.

 

Learn how to lead effectively

Gleaned from wisdom acquired by working with hundreds of highly successful leaders from the world of business, media and sport, our workshops are fortified with practical tips to help you better lead yourself, your team and your business.

Read More

Leadership Articles

10 questions leaders should never ask

Leadership is often portrayed as having the right answers. In reality, great leadership is more about asking the right questions. Questions can open minds, build trust and encourage innovation. Equally, they can shut down discussion, create... read more

10 ways to build your team

Everyone would like to be part of a dream team - a group of people, each skilled in their own discipline, pulling together to achieve more than they ever could alone. Yet while most organisations talk about teamwork, they still tend to reward individual... read more

10 weekend habits of purposeful leaders

The most impactful leaders know that success doesn’t come from working around the clock - it comes from working with intention. And that includes how we spend our weekends. While weekdays often revolve around performance, the weekend is a chance to reset... read more

Leadership Tips

HOW TO MAKE HOPE CREDIBLE

In uncertain times, one of your most important responsibilities as a leader is to give people a reason to keep moving forward. But hope doesn’t come from ambitious visions or optimistic promises alone. If your aspirations outpace what people believe is... read more

HOW TO LEAD WHEN UNDER PRESSURE

Pressure reveals how you instinctively respond when decisions matter most. Some leaders rush. Others hesitate. Some become controlling, while others retreat. The challenge is not to eliminate those instincts, but to recognise them and develop the... read more

HOW TO CREATE OWNERSHIP

You cannot force accountability, but you can make it easier for people to choose it. When pressure rises, the instinct is often to tighten control. Better leaders create the conditions in which ownership becomes the natural response. When people... read more