From the course: Leadership Skills for The Future

Leading with purpose

From the course: Leadership Skills for The Future

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Leading with purpose

- We are in the middle of a global economic shift, one that will shape organizations for decades to come. We're leaving behind the information economy and entering the purpose economy. According to Aaron Hurst, author of "The Purpose Economy," "Purpose lives at the intersection "of what gives us meaning and the impact we want to have." According to his global study, nearly half of all US workers are purpose-oriented, meaning that it's their primary reason for working. Another study found that 71% of millennials rank finding work that's meaningful as one of their top three factors for determining career success. Purpose fuels motivation, helping us persist when things get challenging. It's the counterweight to the stress that fills so much of today's workplaces. Purpose or meaningful work is actually the driver of employee engagement, something that predicts organizational success across a range of business metrics. In addition, my research found that purpose plays a key neurological role, providing all kinds of benefits like better cognitive resilience, slowing age-related decline, reducing depression, and even extending our life span. Great leaders not only lead from their own sense of purpose, they're skilled at creating a clear sense of purpose for the organization and the people and teams that work there. Aaron Hurst says it best. "Purpose-driven leaders tap into the deep well "of intrinsic motivation inside themselves "and those around them." So how do you lead with purpose? First, you need to get clear on your own personal sense of purpose. What do you find meaningful or inspirational? And what is the impact you want to have? In the exercise files, I've included a handout to help you discover and articulate your sense of purpose. Next, create a clear sense of purpose for your level of leadership. Whether it's defining the purpose of a project or team or an entire global organization, setting a compelling sense of purpose will motivate and inspire others. This purpose should align with the larger vision, mission, and values of your organization. And whenever you can, help people find ways to connect this to their own individual sense of purpose as well. This can create an extraordinary sense of community and camaraderie, which yields its own rich benefits. If you want to learn more, I highly recommend the book, "The Leadership Challenge," by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. It's my favorite model for leadership, as it focuses on the five practices that extraordinary leaders around the world share. One of them is inspire a shared vision, which is all about leading with purpose. Together, these strategies and resources will get you well on your way to leading with purpose.

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