Be a purposeful leader

Knowing the 'why' of one's existence is important for leading happy and content life.

- PAUL HARGREAVES

I am sure many of us are familiar with Simon Sinek’s Start With Why, still one of the most viewed Ted Talks of all time. Sinek was primarily talking about the purpose of a company in that talk, the DNA behind what the company does or makes, and what they are achieving in the world. Many companies now embrace purpose or they're ‘why’ and have a clear expression of their purpose on their website and company literature; in fact, company purpose statements have almost become the norm. What I have discovered, though, is that there are far fewer individuals who are clear on their personal ‘why’ or their individual purpose in life. Some people bumble around, flitting from one job to another or one project to another without having a grander reason for what they do in life. Others have a clear definition of their different roles but haven’t ever clearly defined their purpose. I was one of the bumblers: I had a vague notion of wanting to make the world better in some way, but hadn’t really distilled that down and articulated it properly.