Katie Anderson is a leadership consultant, keynote speaker, award-winning author, and "Chain of Learning" podcast host. KBJAnderson.com.
getty
In our fast-paced business world, the pursuit of profit, efficiency and growth often takes center stage in our corporate culture. We are so entrenched in this mindset to focus on the outputs, the results and the deliverables.
But what if I told you that in doing so we have it backward? That our relentless pursuit of outcomes has overshadowed the true essence of purpose in both personal and professional life?
What is your purpose?
I’ve asked thousands of leaders these critical questions within the first hour of meeting them—everywhere from leadership retreats to individual coaching sessions: What is your purpose? What is most important to you? What impact do you want to have?
But I don't just ask them to state their answer in words; I ask them to draw it. Whether it's in a boardroom or on a video call, the answers are strikingly similar across countries, industries and genders. Leaders’ purposes often revolve around connecting with people, learning, helping others improve and finding joy.
Follow your North Star.
Your purpose should be the driving force that motivates you every morning—alongside that cup of coffee. It should be what sustains you when faced with endless priorities and checklists and what reminds you of the legacy you aim to leave. Your purpose, your "why," is the core of your leadership and how you show up as a person. It’s your North Star and the intention for the person you want to be and the impact you want to have.
Connect individual and organizational purpose.
But knowing your personal purpose is only the beginning. Your organization, your team and your goals must also have clarity in their purpose. Just as personal purpose aligns with personal direction, business purpose aligns people within an organization. Every business begins as an idea, and it's the collective effort of employees that brings that idea to life.
What is your company's purpose?
Consider this: At a recent international conference with over 1,500 leaders, how many hands do you think went up when I asked if their company's purpose was to:
• Make money?
• Impress shareholders?
• Create a better experience for customers?
• Leave a positive impact on the planet?
Many leaders have clarity about their organization's tangible purpose in terms of outputs but often overlook the critical alignment between the company's purpose and the individual's purpose. This alignment is the linchpin of a high-performing, learning-driven culture where outputs are a result of a focus first on people.
We have it backward.
In many Western organizations, the culture emphasizes the business's perceived primary purpose as outcomes and deliverables. Metrics such as profit margins, sales quantity and global impact take center stage. However, the most critical element—while often claimed as the priority—often takes a back seat in the pursuit of results: the well-being, contributions and growth of the employees.
We have it backward by focusing on the outputs rather than the inputs.
Prioritize people first.
Successful companies understand that prioritizing the development of employees and their well-being is the foundation of profitability. When you invest in your people, connect them with purpose and engage them in improving the work:
• You create an enriching environment that encourages them to grow with the company.
• Burnout is less likely, as a work/life balance is maintained.
• Growth and development are encouraged, allowing individuals to find their purpose within your organization.
Build a thriving high-performing culture.
Leaders sometimes fall into the urgency trap, focusing solely on immediate results where they don’t have the (perceived) time to invest in employee development or ask for their contribution. However, the most significant impact can be achieved by prioritizing employee happiness and well-being. By taking care of your people, you inspire them, nurture their sense of purpose and provide them with a stable platform to grow. As a result, they bring the entire company forward with them.
Realign purpose for success.
What if the key to business success is as simple as starting with a purpose oriented on people before outcomes? And by ensuring that a business’s purpose aligns with a leader’s and their employees’ personal purpose? What if by prioritizing your people, the results you've been fixated on naturally follow?
It's time to put your people first and unlock the potential for growth, purpose and profitability. We have the opportunity to shift our perspective, to embrace a new paradigm where purpose starts with people and their thinking, not the other way around. By flipping what we usually have backward, we can truly move forward, redefining the very essence of success in our modern world. It might be easier than you think to get to the high performance that you and your teams want today.
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
