How Leadership Really Starts When You Know Your Why
Imagine this:
A colleague appears at your desk and asks you to help her solve a problem. Her request is straightforward and helping won’t take long, but you’ve already got a mountain of work to do. You glance at the clock. It’s not even 10 am and you’re already tired and ready to curl up on the sofa.
You smile and agree, but your words of support sound hollow. Where has your spark gone?
The day drags as you struggle to stay motivated for your team.
You feel guilty; you should feel great, this is a job you once dreamed of having after all.
But …
… something feels wrong and you can’t quite put your finger on why.
Does this resonate with you? If so, you’re not alone.
Feeling demotivated and unfulfilled, especially at work, is a common feeling that many professionals as they climb the corporate ladder.
And there’s a simple reason for it …
You Need To Understand Your Purpose.
In other words, you need to know why you do what you do.
High-achievers are often motivated by smashing through a goal, getting that promotion, or being assigned a challenging project. You feel confident and driven as you hit the next milestone because you know you can do an outstanding job, work out exactly what’s needed and how to get it done.
But at some point in your career many start to question why. What’s the point. Is it worth the effort? What’s this all for?
Perhaps my favourite quote from Mark Twain can help:
“The two most important days of your life are the day that you were born, and the day that you find out why.”
When you know why you are here and what your purpose is, that’s when you can begin to feel truly fulfilled.
Happiness comes from what we do, but fulfilment comes from why we do it.
If you want to feel an underlying passion for your work and feel you’re contributing to something bigger than yourself, you need to know what your ‘Why’ is.
Why you need a ‘Why.’
As you’ll see from the video, very few people dig deeper and ask why.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what we do and how we do it. After all, it’s how we communicate with each other.
Rarely do we stop to articulate why.
And there’s a danger to never asking why.
What is the core belief that sits beneath who we are as individuals and businesses?
That’s the challenge.
How To Find Your Why
Your Why gives you a filter with which to make better decisions.
It’ll renew your passion for your work and give you a new lens through which you can see the world.
Simply, it helps you to be a better version of yourself.
If you like the sound of that and want to get started, what can you do?
Next steps
I’d recommend starting if you haven’t already by watching Simon Sinek (the founder of the concept of why) famous TED talk, watched by over 15 million times.
And if you’re inspired to find your own why, elevate both your personal leadership & enjoyment of life,
Want support finding your why? Find time here and jump on a call.
At popp® we’re on a mission to help leaders unlock the potential within their team. The challenge is that no two teams are the same, so find a time that suits you, and let’s jump on a call. And if you want to discover where there might be opportunities to improve the performance of your team. Take the free scorecard.