Since the beginning of time, man has likely contemplated the meaning of life. The ancient religions and philosophies have tried to provide answers. In our multi-tasking, social-media saturated, information-overloaded world, we rarely take time to contemplate our Purpose. And yet the Japanese believe that the journey of uncovering one’s Ikigai (Purpose) is an important endeavor that brings great satisfaction and meaning to life. Current research is supporting this belief.

I’ve been passionate about this topic for most of my life. When my husband died, nine years ago, I became fanatically focused on discovering my own Purpose. I traveled the world, immersing myself in the study of Purpose. I learned about the transforming power of Purpose and the detrimental effects of a lack of Purpose on both individuals and society at large.

What is Purpose?

One of my favorite descriptions is by Frederick Beuchner, “Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s needs”. I also love author, Lynda Howe’s definition, “The Purpose of life is to experience and express the infinite love within in joyful service”.

On a practical level, Purpose can be anything we do to help transform lives for the better and/or contribute to the greater good in our own unique way. Some examples include: producing goods/ services that improve the lives of users, providing jobs and enhancing workers’ quality of life, developing a strong network of suppliers and business partners, or ensuring financial viability, which provides resources for improvements, innovations, and returns to investors.

Purpose is good for You

Growing research is revealing the many benefits of Purpose. According to a study done at Carlton University, having a Purpose in life is an indicator of healthy aging and longevity, no matter what time you find Purpose.

Author, Dan Buettner, discovered that Purpose was one of the top secrets to longevity of people in Blue Zones – places in the world where people live to 100 and stay healthy.

In Viktor Frankl’s ground-breaking book, Man’s search for Meaning, he revealed the leading indicator of resilience, based on his study of Holocaust survivors, to be a sense of Purpose.

Purpose is good for Organizations

Not only is Purpose good for the individual, but it’s also important indicator of success for teams, communities and organizations. Author, Daniel H. Pink’s, reveals in his book, Drive that having Purpose is one of the three key employee motivators, along with mastery and autonomy.

Working with organizations of all shapes and sizes, I’ve seen that those with a clear Purpose had stronger brands, connected more deeply with their clients and employees, and outperformed their competitors.

My own experience is supported by a growing body of research. Organizations that harness their Purpose see significant, measurable results. They get and keep the best employees (1.4 times more engaged, 3 times more likely to stay)(1). They attract, engage and retain more customers (2). Purpose-led companies outperformed the S&P 500 by 10 times between 1996 and 2011 (3). Also, Purpose-oriented employees are good for brands. They are 47% higher net promoters of brands (4).

“Rather than viewing organizational processes as ways of extracting more economic value, great companies create frameworks that use societal value and human values as decision-making criteria.” Rosabeth Moss Kanter (5).

Purpose is the Next Stage of Growth in the Economy

Authors, Aaron Hurst (The Purpose Economy), and Daniel H. Pink (A Whole New Mind), both forecasted Purpose to be the next great driver of our economy. The market for lifestyle of health and sustainability (LOHAS) has doubled to $600 billion in five years, covering products and services focused on health and fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living and social justice.

If Purpose is where the economy is heading, and living our Purpose makes us happier, healthier, live longer, and is better for the organization in terms of brand advocacy, lower turnover and higher engagement, why are so few people and organizations embracing Purpose as a key driver for their success (only 28% of US workforce is Purpose-oriented (6))?

The Main reasons we’re NOT more Purpose-oriented include:

  • People don’t yet truly understand the value of Purpose in their lives, careers and businesses.
  • Individuals don’t know how to define their own Purpose.
  • Leaders don’t know how to define Purpose for their organizations.
  • Leaders don’t know how to incorporate Purpose into the strategy and business processes of the organizations.
  • Leaders don’t know how to connect organizational Purpose with employee Purpose.

Over the years of doing work in this area, I have discovered that whether we want to embody Purpose in our lives or organizations, the process is very similar. There are five key phases that include: Initiation, Alignment, Discovery, Envision, Mastery.

In the Initiation phase, we begin to imagine the improvement to our lives, communities and society. We learn the steps involved and become committed to making the change required to discover and step into Purpose.

In the Alignment phase, we acquire tools to help us to deepen our self knowledge (whether individual or organizational) and begin clearing the elements that no longer serve our Purpose. Once that is done, we step into the Discovery phase where we take a 360 degree view of ourselves and environment/market to get a better understanding of our greatest strengths and ways that we uniquely serve our community to make a lasting impact. In other words, we begin to uncover our Purpose.

In the Envision phase, we define our vision, mission and approach, identifying the gap between ‘As Is’ and ‘To Be’ and then chart a path to manifest our Purpose. The last phase of the process is Mastery. This is where we cultivate the characteristics, skills, systems, and resources that will support our success in becoming an effective leader in our lives, work, teams and market. As we begin to actually manifest our Purpose, we learn what works for us and what doesn’t. Observing this, we Initiate a new process of transformation and the cycle begins again.

These five phases include ten steps – 2 steps per phase. Combined, they are part of my propriety process called the Designing Transformation Method™️. I incorporate this method into all the work that I do with individuals, leaders and business owners to help them align with their Purpose, and achieve greatest potential.

Sources:
1: The Energy Project, What Is Your Quality of Life at Work, 2013.
2: Edelman, The good purpose study, 2013.
3: Raj Sisodia, Firms of Endearment, 2007.
4: 2015 Workforce Purpose Index (imerative.com).
5: Harvard Business Review, Nov 2011.
6: 2015 Workforce Purpose Index (imerative.com).

 

Or, contact Me Today!

Email: lianne@designingtransformation.com


Call: 514-825-073

I look forward to helping you reignite your passion, find the deeper calling of your life and attract great prosperity.