How often do you catch yourself going through everyday motions in your personal and/or professional lives? How often do you find yourself in a place, situation, or relationship wondering why it doesn't feel the way you thought it would? That might feel like wondering why a promotion doesn't feel the way you thought it would. It might look like having panic attacks in between meetings. It might sound like talking to your partner, family, friends, colleagues, or teams in ways that don't sound like you, who you want to be, or how you want to behave.
That being said, how might leading in purpose and on purpose be a gamechanger then? The gamechanger comes from the congruence and intentionality this approach provides. The combination of congruence and intentionality foster integrity as your leadership springboard.
Leading in purpose, from my perspective, is based on congruence. It looks like matching your efforts to be in line with your values. It sounds like matching your actions with your words. It feels like your actions honour your purpose or your connection to something greater than yourself. This connection can come back to nature, faith, community, or whatever else connects you to a bigger collective in a meaningful way.
To me, leading on purpose is based on intentionality. It looks like intentionally taking the time to be clear about why you're doing what you're doing. It sounds like intentionally communicating this Why so that different audiences can connect to this purpose. It feels like you're intentionally making your contributions to a bigger picture thoughtful and impactful.
When do you have opportunities to lead on purpose and in purpose? Any expression of leadership will benefit from congruence, intentionality, and the integrity that comes from the combination of both. In this case, I'll outline 3 important expressions of leadership to consider when leading on/in purpose. Self-leadership comes back to how you carry yourself, how you live into your values, and how you embody your purpose or your Why. Team-leadership or community-relationship comes back to how you build relationships with others, how you create positive environments where different people can connect, and how you influence a group of people to move in a particular direction. Business-leadership includes adapting your strategies to meet change/challenge/opportunity, how you support your people/clients through change, and being clear about how your services add value to others' quality of life.
Here are a 10 questions to consider when choosing to lead with the integrity that comes from congruence and intentionality:
Leading in purpose:
How do you want to feel most of the time?
What experiences/habits/practices are in congruence with creating this feeling in your everyday interactions and experiences?
What types of relationships do you need to cultivate in order to feel this way more often?
What does matching your efforts to your values look like for you?
What's the current gap between what you say/do and how might you bridge it?
What's something greater than yourself that you want to contribute to or connect with?
Leading on purpose:
If you guessed what your Why is, what would you say?
If you were to share this Why with those closest to you, how might you explain it?
How might sharing your gifts help you contribute to something greater than yourself and what would your 'something' be?
What might change for you if you were 1% more intentional towards the experiences, places, and relationships that you engage in?
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