Purpose
The mutual resolve of a community
Authentic purpose lowers supervision costs while improving performance. It is not only logical but felt emotionally and physically. We will share ways to locate the intersection between the deep personal purposes of individuals and the important purposes of an enterprise. As you explore the concept of purpose, what questions does it raise or insights does it provoke about your leadership practice?
Practicing Purpose
Inspired and resilient workforces are led by a sense of purpose rather than the efforts of one or more individuals. Ultimately “purpose” is the one point of connectivity that we want to create within an organization. Not only does it create meaning for the work we are all doing together, it also makes people feel proud of the organization we are working for. It is the basis for all effective employee engagement efforts.
Practices
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Purpose practice #1: A purpose-method-goal audit
A plan driven by mutual purpose accelerates the development of goals and methods.
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Purpose practice #2: Discovering collective purpose
Use the Conversation Prep Chart to Identify shared purpose that could rally your team.
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Purpose practice #3: Recovering purpose with glad-sad-mad
In the face of disconnection or disappointment, this Glad-Sad-Mad debrief can reinvigorate connection to purpose.
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Barbara Jordan and fact-based inquiry
A freshman congresswoman during the Watergate scandal provides an example of how authenticity accelerates solution, and how aligning people to purpose leads to honest, healthy debate as well as better decisions.
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A Quote on Purpose from Albert Einstein
A quote that you can use as your desktop background.
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High-purpose, low-bureaucracy organizations
The more a work environment is designed to serve purpose rather than hierarchy, the easier it is to get work done. Read about a few examples of organizations that make purpose the boss.
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Creating a powerful organizational purpose
How sure are you that your organizational vision or mission is giving people a sufficiently compelling purpose? Ask yourself these questions to find out.