Purpose is Your Responsibility.
"No matter one’s level, industry or career, we all need to find a personal sense of meaning in what we do."
A Comment on HBR's "5 Questions to Help Your Employees Find Inner Purpose" by Kristi Hedges
I wholeheartedly agree. But as a leader, you need to amp-up and deepen direct engagement with your team. Don’t wait for your boss to be curious and prompt you. Seek out and discover your own purpose. Put it to work. It’s your responsibility.
In my work with CEOs and hundreds of executives in transition, I’m often disappointed by the lack of personal initiative. Many sit back and wait: wait for their manager to tell them what to do, wait for the company to take care of their needs, or wait for “the next big thing”.
I had one CEO say to me, “Why does everyone want me to tell them what to do. And, then they want to be promoted or think they can be the CEO.”
What’s inevitable? Disappointment.
A two-way street of expectations is always an accident waiting to happen – it's a recipe for expectations unfulfilled. Your company doesn’t view you as taking the steps to inspire performance and you’re angry because you're either in a purposeless (careless) company or you've known all along that it's your responsibility to find your own purpose; and how to act on it.
The reason it’s not happening is you’re stuck, your manager's stuck or your company is gridlocked.
So what are you waiting for? Be the boss of you and be the leader that your group, your team, your organization needs.
What to do? Carpe Diem.
Take a look inward: And see what’s really in your way. What’s the distraction or story you’re telling yourself that isn’t true?
Take one small action: You don’t have to know the whole roadmap. Stay focused, figure out why. No judgement. Learn. One small action will lead to the next.
Have accountability: What’s shared, what’s measured gets done.
Raise your hand: Take it forward. Construct a path for your team and your company.
Be the leader you want to be.
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