What’s your life purpose? What do some things just come naturally to you, and are you using those gifts for a broader, noble purpose?
I believe each of us is here to love and to share our gifts generously to make the world a better place.
When I coach people I am always trying to find out what lights them up and to help them connect the various dots to create their own powerful story of themselves that energizes and focuses them. When someone is on a mission that is meaningful to them, you can feel it physically and intuitively.
Same goes for teams.
In a perfect world when groups of people assemble to make something great happen, they are intentional about how their personal life purposes will combine into a broader narrative about positively impacting the world. Yes, of course the tangible things must be achieved, prioritized, funded, etc. But it’s an entirely different experience for a team to consciously identify “why” they’re assembled together beyond the tangible, because more often than not your product or service is going to morph, and the environment will change, and people will be added and leave your team but that shared sense of why we matter as a team must survive, and thrive, and power the creativity, hard work, and relationships that allow something great to emerge.
I personally experienced that at Netscape in the early days. I was not clear on my life purpose at that time – I was 28 – but there was something palpable in the air about us changing the very essence of how humans communicated. Our CEO Jim Barksdale used story telling superbly well and helped us understand the company’s objectives within a broader frame that made us proud.
So when I ran into this blog post on iDoneThis about Zappos and their cool CEO Tony Hsieh, I was excited to see some research on the various ways people tend to think about their shared purpose. Words matter, and we have proof from neuroscience that how we share our ideas through words literally impact our biochemistry and whether people’s full creativity and analytical skills are available. Attachment, or the desire to move towards something, unlocks the full potential of our mind (which, research shows, includes the neural networks in our brain, heart, and gut).
Read through this list and reflect back on your best moments individually and collectively with others. Which motivators were at play with you and others in your peak moments?
Which ones motivate you the most? Everyone deserves to be part of a noble journey, so create your own, or join up with others and move the world forward. Check out the Adaptive Flow model below to see how leaders might craft mutually beneficial partnerships anchored in shared values and purpose.
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Adaptive Talent is a talent consultancy designed to help organizations achieve amazing results and ongoing adaptability. Founded in 2008 and based in Vancouver, Canada we offer retained search, assessments, total rewards consulting, training, leadership coaching and development programs, and culture & organizational development consulting.