How can a leader inculcate the purpose?

 How can a leader inculcate the purpose?

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)

As we have discussed the importance and method of creating PURPOSE at an individual level, let us discuss how effective leaders are inculcating the PURPOSE to the organization's employees.

As an individual, the benefit of knowing the purpose is to elevate our energy and focus on a higher cause, which will also help us navigate the challenges easily. Similarly, when the team in the organization also knows and aligns themselves on the higher purpose of the organization, the focus and interaction would be on a higher cause than isolated or distracted working.

Since people come from different values and personal needs to the organization, bringing the people together is very significant for organizational growth and internal harmony. Getting that alignment is one of the responsibilities of an effective leader.

As I observed, some of the below practices by effective leaders.
 
1.Sharing the value of the organization to the team frequently
2.Keep the team engaged with new possibilities or targets
 
Sharing the value of the organization to the team frequently:

This is one of the practices some effective leaders adopt to keep the people on an elevated level. They use to share the organizational values frequently with the team whenever they interact or through forums.
 
For example, in one of my previous organizations, the Managing director of the company frequently mentions “Trust building with the customer through service.” Eventually, when the people are exposed to the repeated value's expectation, their actions and interactions with others are also in line with their organizational values. As long as the person is working in the organization, he is bound to work with building trust with others.

Keep the team engaged with new possibilities or targets.

This is another method I had observed with some of the leaders. They engage the team by showing new possibilities or business targets. This will make the team to work on an elevated emotional level as the future possibilities eventually tap out their potential. As human beings, we are always excited to look forward to new things that we have not seen earlier.

For example, a few years back, Ratan Tata conceived the idea of the low-cost car, which no one ever thought of before. That new possibility might have created a positiveness and drive for Tata motors' internal team to work together to see it in reality.
 
The key point when you are aligned with higher-level purpose, your energy, emotions, managing the challenges, and achievement orientation would be to a higher degree. That is applicable for the individual and the organization as well.!

Some leaders are good at inculcating those purposes in the team through their consistent effort, which i think is one of the leader's primary responsibilities!
 

How to identify your life purpose?

 How to identify your life purpose?

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)

 

Having discussed the importance of knowing the purpose for being in a high energy state and achievement orientation, let us learn to identify the purpose by ourselves.
 
Through self-introspection, one can find his TRUE NORTH, and some people are fortunate enough to be aware of the purpose at a young age. Accordingly, they design their professions and life.

For others, it may take time to get clarity on the life purpose, and those need to explore it continuously if they want to make meaning out of life. That is a continuous evolution process.

Based on my experience, i have listed below some of the methods to find a purpose. 

1. Identify what you love most to do
2. Leverage your strength
3. Experimenting and exploring

Identify what you love most to do:
 
Not all people have the privilege of choosing a path that they like. Practically, we take what is given. Even in that living environment, we naturally love to do some of the activities most of the time.We will not feel losing energy even when we are doing those activities for a longer duration. That is called passionate tasks.

We need to find those passionate activities and design the significant part of life around it.

When we are doing passionate activities, our energy level would be towards achievement orientation than procrastination or excuses. 

For example,

If you find yourself enjoying more when solving technical issues through your observation, analytical, creative skills, that may be likely your passion. Ensure that most of your profession or in general life activities around that passion of solving technical challenges.

If you find yourself enjoying more when helping others solve their leadership-related problems, then teaching may be your passion and ensure the most of your life activities around teaching on life skills.

You can relate to some of the celebrities who found their passion (sports, music, journalism, entertainment) early and made a career out of it. 

The key point is when you find your real passion and design your life around the passion, you will find meaning in what you are doing. That will make you work towards achievement orientation.One of the methods is finding what you love most to do 

let us discuss other methodologies next week!

Clarity on PURPOSE (Contd..)

 Clarity on PURPOSE (Contd..) 

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)

 

As we have discussed the need to be aware of our purpose last week,,a few responded that the purpose would vary from time to time. For example, at a young age, money was the purpose, and later stage of life, the purpose changed to impact society. The purpose may not be the same throughout life.

That is right only and let me give my perspective on purpose with reference to time, based on my experience. 
 
a few years back,i  met a successful entrepreneur who ventured into the business at a young age, and even at 70+, he is active and involves in business decisions. When i asked about his high energy level even at this age, his response was, "when i started my entrepreneurial journey, the purpose was to make money and survive. Those purposes drove me then and met. Now my purpose is to enhance the life of my employees that motivates me now to do more" .

we can relate the above example with our life as well.

The key learnings are 

• The purpose will get change over time, depending on the maturity of individual learning and maturity.
• Today money may not be a purpose but does not mean that he ignored it. It becomes a subset of the higher purpose of providing quality life to employees.
• The purpose may vary from small /short term to high/ long term perspective. Those are all interchangeably accepted as a purpose or goal, or objective. Achieving those little/ short term goals are all very essential, and that eventually lead you to find your TRUE NORTH. Finding purpose is an evolution and time-consuming process.
• We should have some higher-level purpose to drive us, else, we will get distracted. We need to find some meaning in what we are doing, which will keep us at an elevated emotional level.

Earlier, you get your TRUE NORTH or ULTIMATE PURPOSE in life and align your actions, better you will become emotionally healthy and balanced.

Let us discuss the practical way of finding the purpose next week!

Why finding PURPOSE is essential?

 

Why finding PURPOSE is essential? (Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)   In continuation of knowing self more through getting value clarity, the next step in Achievement Orientation is to know your purpose in life. There is a saying that everyone comes to earth with a purpose, and everything happens with a purpose only. There is a school of thought from a philosophical perspective that the meaning of life to live happily or go along with the flow. It may be valid, and only a few people are aligned with that perspective and internally motivated. That is a high-level maturity of living. However, from a materialistic perspective, there is always a compelling need to be on a high level of internal motivation and achievement-orientation. One way of fulfilling the requirement is to find the life purpose at the self-level at some point in a lifetime.  Given the realm of our education, knowledge, skillset, experience, and background, we need to find the purpose of our life. The tough question that needs to be answered is," why do i exist"? what is meaningful to me? What is the real fulfillment for me? What is my identity? , what will i be remembered for, at least for some time?!!. The purpose could be anything as it depends on the individual. It could be making a difference, creating an impact on others, building wealth, solving a chronic problem, entertaining others, and so on. Finding purpose is the exploration process, and it is not a one-time activity. Why should we find our purpose? When we have clarity on the big-picture of our existence, it will give a sense of direction. When the direction is not right, how fast we move, the path does not take to the right destination. When we do not know our true north and being busy with all the distractions of life, we feel empty despite all the success. When we know our purpose, even though there are struggles, it won’t hurt much. When we do not have any clarity about our purpose, we are vulnerable to even small disappointments, rejections, failures. When we are clear about our purpose, our journey will be enjoyable even if it is slow because we are aware that we are marching in the right direction in our path. That realization makes us feel good. Optimism comes out when we are clear about our journey’s direction. Let us learn the different ways of exploring self to get clarity on our purpose next week. Given below the link to an interesting video on meaningful life/vision/purpose, you may relate them.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bumPyvzCyo

Finding your Purpose

Finding your Purpose
(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)

 

As we have been discussing the methodologies of being aware of self, the last one in the effort of self-awareness is finding the purpose of existence.

Some people are gifted to aware of their purpose at a young age and channelizing their energy in fulfilling the purpose. For others, the purpose has to be realized by asking the question themselves continuously. It is not a one-time effort, and this pursuit of search is a life long exercise.

In my opinion, we need to explore the purpose of life in two layers to avoid the complexity, one at a spiritual level and another at a materialistic level.

Most of the spiritual masters mention that the purpose of life is to live happily and peacefully, or some refer the purpose is to attempt to break the birth-death-rebirth cycle. Have we reached that level of maturity in awareness and practice it? That is one level of exploration.

From a materialistic perspective, we need to be sure about the purpose from our service point of view. We need to ask question ourselves, "what is the purpose of my existence? What am I doing with my background, education, experience, passion, and am i living meaningful or impactful?  When you ask this question frequently, you will get some insights about the macro-level purpose, at least from a materialistic perspective rather than not being sensitive to life. That is another level of exploration.

The most significant benefit of knowing the purpose is that we get clarity on the sense of direction, clarity on our thoughts and actions. When both thoughts and actions are aligned, we move towards the mastering of our emotions at the professional front.

My experience is that the effort to find the purpose will make you understand yourself better.

Depending on the individual's level of evolution, he/ she chooses to explore the purpose either from a materialistic or spiritual perspective. That exploration brings more awareness of self!

 

How do you look at your work?

Once three people were working on the bridge construction. The stranger approached the first person asked what he was doing.T he person said, “Can‘t you see I am laying stones.” The stranger quickly moved on to the second person and asked the same question.T he person replied: “I am working on my income so that I take care of myself and family.”

      The stranger moved on the third person and asked him what he was doing. The person replied with a smile “I am building a bridge, once the bridge construction is over, many people will pass on.I am helping others to move fast. This bridge will be here centuries after I am gone”    

       This is a well-known story, and the profound message is that how you are looking at your work with great purpose on it makes a difference in your quality of work and life. Irrespective of your profession, each one of us is doing our bit for the benefit of others as a whole. When we realize the purpose of our work in a big picture, the work will bring happiness and also the quality of work will be enhanced.
 
        Identify the purpose of your work!!