Purpose
Driving actions and impact
In today’s complex and demanding leadership landscape, clarity of purpose is more than personal insight – it’s a powerful multiplier of impact. Purpose is the core reason behind your actions, the ‘why’ that shapes decisions and sustains commitment. As Simon Sinek argues in Start with WHY, the most innovative and successful leaders and organisations begin with their WHY, aligning everything they do around this central aim. For us as individuals, purpose can be the difference between simply pursuing opportunities and dedicating ourselves to what truly matters.
What do I really, really want?
I enjoyed a long career living and working in amazing places with brilliant people and teams around the world. As rewarding as this was, I often felt a slight but persistent sense of dissonance – a question that kept surfacing: ‘But what do I really want to do?’ Unlike some, I didn’t have a clear idea from an early age about what I wanted to do. Instead, I followed my interests and pursued opportunities, which on one level worked out very well. But when I took a break from full-time work, I seized the chance to pause and reflect on what felt most important before committing to my next move. This reflection led me to explore what purpose really means, beyond career choices or opportunities.
Purpose is commonly understood as the convergence of Significance, Direction, and Action — defined as: Purpose is a dynamic life aim, aligned to values and strengths, that gives direction, organises action, and creates impact beyond the self.
Myth busting
Digging deeper (thanks to Mark Manson's podcast on Purpose), I found a few key points that I keep coming back to:
Purpose and passion are not the same. Passion energises and excites us, but it doesn’t provide the long-term focus and sustained effort that comes from purpose.
Understanding our purpose doesn’t make life easy. Following purpose is difficult and often involves challenge and sacrifice.
Purpose emerges gradually. For most of us, it evolves over time rather than arriving like a sudden bolt of inspiration.
Explore your purpose
Without following a specific framework, I began by keeping rough notes about my career to date – my strengths (as I and others see them), my values, and the times when I felt most engaged, motivated, and fulfilled at work. Over time, insights appeared when I least expected them. The process of exploring my purpose felt more like dawn gradually breaking than a flash of inspiration. This journey has led me to focus on supporting other leaders in mission-driven organisations and businesses, where I feel the convergence of what interests me, plays to my strengths, and feels important.
Wherever you are in your leadership journey, exploring your purpose is one of the most valuable exercises you can undertake. Purpose doesn’t arrive fully formed; it emerges gradually, shaped by your values, strengths, and experiences. When these elements converge, they amplify your effectiveness and resilience as a leader. I encourage you to pause, reflect, and ask yourself: What is the purpose that guides my leadership? The clarity you uncover may illuminate your next steps and expand the impact you have on those you lead and serve.
To support this reflection, I’ve summarised some different approaches to exploring purpose here.