Outcomes When You Align Leadership Around Purpose

Many leaders are getting curious about the power purpose possesses to transform their organizations.

More specifically, they are curious what role purpose can play in evolving their brands and company cultures. One often overlooked, and critically important, aspect of transitioning to a purpose-driven organization is leadership alignment. The success of your integration efforts start, even hinge, on the success of your leadership team. Your statement of purpose not only  has the potential to evolve your organization, but also to set the conditions for resilient leadership team dynamics. 

Revitalized Energy

A compelling purpose statement has the power to revitalize your leadership team. This intention for the type of world you are coming together to create is a spark for fresh ideas and for renewed enthusiasm about work. It is a reminder of what the leadership team stands for, and cheers each person on in their noble work quest. When revisited on a daily, weekly or quarterly basis, purpose is always full of promise. It bolsters the heart and catalyzes the mind. For teams that are newly joined, or those that have worked together for years, this short and pithy statement can reach untapped energy and fan its flames.

Deeper Connections

Developing a purpose, or returning to an existing one, prompts leaders to connect. Stories can come out, heartfelt stories, of what the purpose means to them and where they’ve seen it in their own lives. When conversations are centered around purpose, leaders become more than coworkers — they become people. The human aspect of leadership forms strong bonds that are capable of withstanding difficulties and challenges. Purpose helps to create these ties between people as they pursue their intention as a true team. With purpose, each individual finds their place in “the work,” and as a team, each person can see their role in bringing it to life. 

Clarified Tribe

Purpose has the power to clarify who is in your tribe. When you make your organization’s reason for existence explicit, it gives everyone the opportunity to evaluate whether they attach to it or not. And, this is a good thing because you want and need a team of people who are enthusiastic about making this specific difference in the world. It’s possible that some members of the leadership team may not be called to the noble intention you’ve illuminated. And, if they choose to leave the organization, it not only frees them up to pursue things that set their heart on fire, but also for you to find new team members who resonate with what you hope to achieve in the world. If every member of the team believes in the purpose, and resonates with it, the team will find strength and solidarity in it’s shared passion. 

Unified Storytelling and Decision-Making

Perhaps most importantly, purpose provides a solid foundation for standing as a united front for your company. A statement of purpose creates a lens for telling new stories about your organization. When the leadership team can tell this new organizational story in an aligned way, they are speaking the same language. And when this shared understanding, and language, develops, the team can start to think in aligned ways. This leads to an easier time making decisions as a group. It’s clear if something does or doesn’t make your purpose real in the world; if it doesn’t fit within the story you are telling about why you exist. Everyone on the team is held to the same standards and the same desired outcomes and, when speaking the same language, collaboration is rewarding and decision-making quicker and more impactful.

Purpose is not a panacea in and of itself. There is much work to be done to ensure that the purpose is ingrained in the minds of leaders and that daily action is taken to support bringing that purpose to life. However, when used consistently as a tool by leadership, it can reenergize, connect, unify and sort these teams. These outcomes generate the momentum and solidarity needed to guide your organization forward with clarity and enthusiasm.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash