How to become a Purpose-Driven Leader – and Organization

Contents

Understand what ‘purpose-driven leadership’ means – in your context.
Engage stakeholders to understand priorities, perspectives, and future plans
Get input from colleagues across the organization
Formulate plans to create the future, with others
Crack on and keep going

Introduction

This blog follows on from the previous articles about WHY purpose-driven leadership is vital for contemporary organizations and leaders; and WHAT it actually means. This one looks at the HOW and the practical steps an organization needs to consider if they want to find a better way – or as we call it “leadership for a better tomorrow”.

The HOW and the WHAT are to an extent symbiotic – and so a total distinction between them makes little sense – however, there are some specific issues that leaders will need to explore and reflect on before the approach can be embedded in the organization.

1) Understand what the term ‘purpose-driven leadership’ means – in your context.

The ‘big picture’ issues are well defined and explored from a variety of perspectives in publications such as 5 Principles of Purposeful Leadership (hbr.org) and by organizations such as Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) | and through the goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (nationalgeographic.org). For most leaders and organizations, this needs to be approached from the issues that are relevant to the specific organization. These will vary according to the sector, size, sphere of operation, culture and history, among many other factors.

A great starting point therefore is to consider what you collectively see as “a better tomorrow” from the point of view of all stakeholder groups. Given the genesis of this whole subject area this may introduce concepts such as the triple bottom line, the impacts of climate change, inequality, global and regional conflict, challenges in talent attraction, recruitment and retention, employee engagement, market competitiveness, sector regulation and a host of others.

Getting some clarity around the organization’s priorities and desired future state will provide a sound base for everything that follows.

2) Engage stakeholders to understand priorities, perspectives, and future plans

There is little advantage to simply guessing what the organization might need to become. Stakeholders, as the name illustrates, have a strong stake in your organization’s future. That may be as a customer, a regulator, a market, a body of current and prospective employees, representative groups of all types, supply chains, societies and communities and even Governments.

These stakeholders will have important points of view about what matters most to them and those perspectives are likely to be very different to yours. This can be extremely insightful and help your organization to evolve in ways that really do represent a ‘better tomorrow’ not only for you, but for the greater good.

3) Get input from colleagues across the organization

This must not simply be a token attempt to get their tacit agreement to a fait accompli.

As the previous point shows, these different perspectives are so important in shaping your understanding of what your ‘better tomorrow’ might need to look like. Senior leaders will have a set of specific priorities, goals and perspectives, but those are likely to be quite different to those of the middle management tier, and different again at the front line, or for graduate trainees, or between generations and genders, or for different sexual identities, or for those with disabilities – and so on.

Just getting their input on what they think a ‘better tomorrow’ might need to be, how it might feel, what problems would have been solved, what ideas would have been implemented and what benefits they would want to see – this could provide a truer and richer picture than any board meeting could ever hope to do.

Make moves to address the issues people most care about and they will be with you, heart and soul. We know, beyond reasonable doubt, that aligning organizational direction and change with the things that matter most to people creates impetus, builds morale and increases engagement. It begins, like any long journey, with the first step.

4) Formulate plans to create the future, with others

You’ll already be seeing the vast and blank page on which you might need to write, so break it down. What can you start to change? When? How? Who can help? Where will you go after that? Year 2? Year 3?

You don’t have to change everything all at once – indeed, that would be unwise and likely to cause chaotic levels of uncertainty and insecurity. But you do need to start and you do need to get on with it. Find some early wins, but not trivial ones. People will be watching and making judgements, so find some big issues that you can address reasonably quickly.

5) Crack on and keep going

The graveyard of organizational initiatives is a very large one, with a long waiting list. In times of flux, it can be very hard to maintain focus and sustain the efforts required. If you don’t plan to carry this through, better you don’t start. However, if that’s the case then be prepared to be overtaken by others who put in the work and take their people with them. They’ll probably make strides, steal your best people, innovate past you and acquire your customers.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of areas to consider and every organization will have many additional things to explore, but it is a great place to start. Y

Become a purpose-driven leader with Inspirational Group.

Our leadership development and coaching empowers leaders at all levels to work with a dynamic and proactive purpose – creating value for their people, stakeholders, and society.

Get in touch using this form to find out more.

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