Purpose is the why behind your leadership identity. It’s about asking yourself, ‘Why am I doing what I’m doing?’
One of the goals of an HR Manager is to add the right people to the team, a team that will make the company greater and more successful. When we refer to “right” people, we are talking about a diverse team that brings strong potential. One of the members of the team can be you, a leader. A leader is not perfect, but you need to know what your purpose, in life and in the organization is.
The idea of purpose can be confusing for many people, especially leaders. Some believe a leader must have a purpose to be successful, while others believe it is just another gimmick that isn’t worth exploring. It’s important to understand what purpose is before deciding if it complies to your leadership identity.
While some people want to build their leadership identity solely around a cause or mission, we believe that it is through the power of a clear sense of purpose that you, as a leader, achieve success.
But am I sure of my “why” and my “purpose” am I going on the right path? Some of you may be on the road working day to day for temporary fulfillment (paycheck) or you may be sure of your purpose and have a good path because you know your why. So how can we understand our purpose better?
Choose to Be
Here is a guide that will help you understand your purpose according to our Mentor and Leadership expert Col. John Antal.
- Know yourself.
- List your values.
- List your goals.
- Know your strengths and weaknesses.
- Write your legacy.
- Document your life’s purpose.
Know yourself
One of the foundations of leadership is self-awareness and it‘s the first step towards becoming a great leader. The more aware you are of yourself, the more you will be able to understand and manage your purpose.
Practicing self-awareness will help you make the best decisions towards your leadership goals, it will let you ask the right questions in regards to your strengths and weaknesses.
Developing self-awareness is a continuous process, where you will always find new ways to improve your approach.
List your Values
Self-assessment of your value is another important part of this process. You need to ask yourself questions and answer them as honestly as possible. Don’t be afraid of acknowledging your core values as they represent what you stand for, what would you fight for, and what would you sacrifice everything for.
List your Life goals
Goals will provide you with direction, but they will become worthless if there is no action or plan behind them. One must act upon them daily and these new behaviors will help you reach your goals. That being said, write down your goals accompanied with the behavior it takes for you to accomplish those goals. Developing these behaviors that support your goals is an essential tool for success.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
We often think strengths are related to our professional career, but they also apply in our personal life. Take Inventory of your strengths and weaknesses, and this will enable you to create a plan to improve your weaknesses and become more effective in all aspects of your life. For example, a strength can be the ability to work in a team, but the weakness can be that you are unable to speak in public.
Write your Legacy
A great starting point is pondering your legacy, how you want to be remembered and how you want to live your life. You may want to consider what advice you want to share with everyone around you and what’s truly important for you to do at the end of your life. It will also give you a perspective of where you’re headed, and if what you are doing today will lead you to that legacy.
Document your life’s purpose
Now that you have every element above written down and you feel that it is clear and what you want, your life purpose will begin to take shape and become a part of your daily life. Crafting your life purpose is no easy task, but once you create your mind map, you will have meaningful, accurate inspiration and revelation of your purpose.
Purpose is a soft virtue – but it’s what gives you steel in your spine. – Rich Karlgaard