“Going upstairs” to achieve our goal
Jack Hawley writes in Waking up the mind at work “Our life direction is to move into the empty apartment upstairs.” The goal is that inner home, that place where our talents, our values and our service reside. He is there all the time, waiting for our arrival. We may have been too busy 'living our life downstairs' to even notice.
A few years ago I worked with an executive who had recently realized she was 'living downstairs' . She walked into my office in a bad mood, and after very little chatter, she blurted out, "Cake mixes don't make my life meaningful!" Taken aback, I started laughing. She was not amused and said, “I am serious. I loved my job, but it doesn't seem important to me anymore. After working with her for a while, she began to explore the contents of her "upstairs apartment." His discovery focused on "using his innovative and conceptual gifts to enrich and nurture people's lives." She had been “living downstairs” for so long that she actually thought cake mixes were supposed to give her life meaning! His focus was overshadowed by his day-to-day focus. When she finally discovered her purpose – to enrich and nurture others through innovation – her attitude towards her work changed, her creativity returned and her performance soared. His life wasn't about cake mixes; it was about being a creative force to improve people's lives. This realization permeated her entire life situation, and almost everyone in her life felt her renewal.
Related: 4 Ways to Find Passion and Purpose in Your Life
Purpose is bigger and deeper than our goals
How many times have you heard someone say about amazing people, "There was born to do this. She was born to do this. It's as if the "thing" is their sole purpose, their sole reason for being.
What happens when the "thing" is over or the career is over? Does this mean that the person no longer has a goal? Are these people then expendable of life? Purpose is the natural flow of our gifts as they serve those we touch. Sometimes we can inhibit or ignore this flow, but it is always there, seeking expression. How it manifests depends on our ability to open ourselves to it and the particular circumstances we may be facing at the time. The goal is constant; the manifestation of purpose always changes to serve the situation.
A client once asked me, "How can I tell the difference between obsessive behavior and deliberately driven behavior?" It is sometimes difficult to tell them apart. The goal releases energy. The higher the goal, the greater the energy. Purpose also frees us. The deeper the goal, the greater the feeling of freedom. Purpose opens possibilities. Obsession drains our energy and binds us to the activity itself. The result is less joy, less energy and less freedom. By observing the passionate and focused behavior of people, it can sometimes be difficult to know whether they were passionately obsessive or passionately determined. If the behavior adds energy, joy, and fulfillment to them and others, it likely comes from a specific place. In the words of Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi:
“Flow elevates the course of life to a different level. Alienation gives way to commitment, pleasure replaces boredom, helplessness turns into a sense of control, and psychic energy works to strengthen a sense of self, instead of being lost in the service of goals. external. When the experience is intrinsically rewarding, life is justified in the present, instead of held hostage for hypothetical future gain. »
Bridging the individual and the organization
In 2014, Baxter decided to transform its BioScience division into a new public company. They called it Baxalta, and Ludwig Hantson, now CEO of Alexion, was then CEO of Baxalta. Ludwig was determined to rapidly develop innovative products supported by an innovative culture. It was not an easy task. Fortunately, Ludwig fully understood the huge downside of allowing performance to be the focus of the organization. He partnered with Korn Ferry and me to foster “Goal Driven Leadership” from Baxalta's Top 200 Leaders.
Commenting on this Goal Accelerator, Ludwig asserted, “Goal Driven Performance of Baxalta were a key factor in significantly increasing market capitalization by $10 billion over a 12-month period. Helping people meet their leadership challenges with dramatically improved self-awareness, common purpose, and shared inspiration has been invaluable in supporting our strategic and cultural transformation. Goal Drives Performance.
Related: 4-Way Drive Performances
Anne-Marie Law, CHRO of Baxalta at the time and now CHRO of Alexion, added this perspective:“In my career, I have rarely seen so many people so deeply touched and determined to contribute to a common meaning and purpose. Helping people connect to their individual and collective purpose multiplies cultural and financial value. Being involved in this process has clearly been one of the highlights of my career. He has produced tangible financial value through inspired performances. ”
Some time ago, I was very fortunate to be invited to NASA to give a keynote address. Honestly, I was especially excited because their offer included a personal tour of the Goddard Space Flight Center, where the components of the new Webb Telescope, successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, were being assembled. The visit and the experience of being there was amazing. But to my surprise, I was most inspired by the interviews I conducted with many NASA scientists and leaders in preparation for the keynote. I wanted to get a sense of their world and their state of mind. At the end of each interview, I asked everyone the same question:"What is the purpose of your work?" Person after person responded with generally the same purpose-inspired vision:"We explore the universe to improve life on our planet." It was both amazing and uplifting to hear the precise alignment of their skills, abilities and values summed up in this passionate aspiration, bigger than all of us. The clarity of their purpose inspires a pause to reflect:How can each of us best put our talents to use for a larger purpose?
Bringing a purpose to life
It's not so surprising to see people standing up to applaud the retirement of a senior executive. Half can be sad to see that person go, and the other half can be happy, so everyone stands up. More unusual is a standing ovation triggered by the announcement of a new person taking on a leadership role.
Novartis Consumer had manufacturing issues. The company was in steep decline and there had been three leaders in three years. They wanted to find the right leader to bring together and optimize their leadership talent and business model. Novartis decided to trust one of their own, Brian McNamara. As General Manager in a key region, Brian had established a clear leadership brand and he was loved for it. He had spent his career and his life building relationships, teams and cultures. He was able to turn around by first engaging people and then inspiring them to exceed expectations. When Brian's new role as CEO of the division was announced, there was a spontaneous collective release, a sense of "It's time our guy got picked!" That pent-up feeling exploded into a standing ovation that rolled, howled, and hissed. It was beautiful!
So why do people feel such respect and appreciation for Brian and his leadership? Simple:Brian cares and he gets results. Everybody knows it. He cares about you, and He cares about making a difference together. He builds trust by genuinely connecting with humor and empathy, and he inspires deep confidence that encourages people to take on tough challenges. Brian takes extra time to be there and coach people.
Working with Brian, who is now CEO of GSK Consumer, a joint venture with Novartis, we dig deeper into his primary focus. Examining the peaks and valleys of his life, we found an overarching theme present when Brian is at his best:breathing life into people. Brian is utterly committed to breathing life into his family, friends, teams, customers, products and his own health and fitness. Commenting on his goal, Brian reflected, “As long as I'm 'all-in'...breathing life, my life is good and meaningful. The shared energy is high and the contributions are optimal. Infusing life is the only thing I have to do; Everything else is secondary. ”
Orbit around the main goal
You might think that I have this “goal” all figured out. In fact, the one thing I know for sure is that this is a critically important, never-ending journey of exploration. While the core can be a constant and pervasive reality throughout life, our clarity increases over time as we heighten our awareness and dedicate ourselves to discovering it. It's a bit like circling around a misty planet and slowly focusing the image.
This process of concentration is accelerated by embarking on a journey to answer two essential questions:
What is so important to me that I am endlessly fascinated?
When I am at my best and creating value for others, what do I bring to make that happen?
Related: If you're looking for purpose, ask yourself these 5 questions
In my case, I've always had a compelling interest in human growth – how it happens, why it happens, its psychology, its history and its to come up. I think of this fascination with human growth as the gravitational core around which I revolve. For me, it is of vital and unending importance. It is my core value, the thing I am willing to dedicate my life to.
Over time, I have been fortunate to develop some key talents to serve this core value of human growth. When these key talents come forward and serve transformative growth, good things happen. When I am at my best, those core talents are creativity and inspiration.
As we devote ourselves to clarifying our primary purpose, it will slowly emerge. Sometimes, in a quiet moment, a glimpse will come. Other times, on a walk with a friend, you will feel their presence. Its energetic vitality can be revealed when you are working or involved in a particular interest. Glimpses will come home or maybe during the holidays. Sometimes the most powerful moments come through when you least expect them. But when that clear idea arises, it's like a ball of yarn that passes through our lives, and the thread connects all of our important life experiences.
When this was perfected for me, I realized that if I was looking for my education in psychology, teaching people to meditate, being an executive coach, building our consulting practice, writing books, giving speeches, or being in family life, it was really only one thing for me:bring out creativity and inspiration to foster transcendent growth. That was it – my purpose, how my gifts could serve and touch others.
6000 Days
While leading a team-building session in Europe to help foster a more oriented culture towards goals in a global company, the CEO had arranged a visit to the nearby Tibetan Buddhist monastery. The group was a little reluctant, but the monk was very courteous. He greeted us, seated us in the meditation hall, and immediately engaged us in a provocative conversation. Although I had the chance to learn from many great teachers, I was unprepared when he singled me out at the very beginning of the speech and asked me, "Tell me, how many days do you have left- to live?
I was stunned by the profound question, but surprisingly, the answer flashed in my mind. “Six thousand days,” I replied.
The monk reflected and replied slowly, “That sounds about right. So if you have 6,000 days, do you want to lose any? Do you want to waste one of those days of frustration, anger, or not living your purpose? The power, depth, and personal relevance of his existential question simultaneously bothered me and inspired me into a reflective mindset. He “forced” me to struggle with it. It reminded me how a powerful question can change our lives…and how precious and purposeful every moment of life is.
Alex Gorsky, President and CEO of Johnson &Johnson, shared with me his own insightful story on the importance of using our time for maximum impact. As a young cadet at West Point, Alex sat in the audience with his classmates during their orientation while the dean of academic affairs addressed the entire corps. He told the first-year cadets, “Some of you will make it. Some will fail. What will make the difference is how you use your “time plots”. As we remember how little time we really have, a positive tension arises that prompts us to do something meaningful, something grounded in service. The monk's difficult question has followed me for days and continues to flow through me, as does the dean's warning. Both remind me not to waste a day...on purpose.
Take some time now to ask yourself the same question the wise monk asked me:"How many days do you have left to live? ? Really calculate it – find a number. Now ask yourself, Knowing the limited number of days I have, what do I want to do? How do I want to be? What is your vision for how you will lead and live these days?
Mastery of purpose frames all of our life and career experiences as part of a meaningful whole. When we understand purpose, all of the difficult experiences in our lives serve to forge identity, character, and meaning. Although life can be difficult, every experience becomes our teacher, every challenge is an opportunity through which we learn and live in a more purposeful way. When we lack purpose, immediate circumstances dominate our awareness and eclipse our purpose; life tends to lose the link with its true nature. Teilhard de Chardin wrote:“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Purpose is the expression of spirit seeking; awareness allows us to see our lives more clearly from within.
You may think this all sounds a bit esoteric. However, primary focus can be one of the most practical and helpful ways to lead and live in a transformative way. It converts average performing organizations, teams, families, and relationships into highly dynamic and effective organizations. It turns employees, team members, spouses or friends into partners. With purpose, managers become leaders. With purpose, we not only become leaders of organizations, we become leaders of life.
Related: 5 Rules for Winning the Game of Life
8 Principles of Goal Mastery
Keep the following principles in mind as you begin to master purposeful leadership:
1. Get in touch with what's important to you.
Understanding our values, what gives meaning to our lives, gives us the "GPS coordinates" of our purpose.
If you have trouble identifying what is really important to you, pay attention to what energizes and excites you, what pushes your limits and brings you happiness. At various times in your life, you will have the vague impression that there must be something more, a deeper meaning. You may want to dive deep into your experiences during these times to discover your goal-seeking expression. At these times, your lens may be calling you, but your lack of listening is creating the blur.
2. Act “on purpose.”
Most people have an intuitive sense of their purpose in life. Turning that fuzzy intuition into a clear, tangible commitment helps turn a dream into reality. David Prosser, retired president of RTW, shared with me, “When your commitments are aligned with your purpose, then great things will happen. Committing to pursuing your goal will mobilize energies and potentialities that you did not know you had within. David Whyte shares, “Take a step towards our destiny through creative action…the universe is turning to us, realizing that we are here, alive and about to make our mark.”
3. Find the main team goal.
While the personal goal is transformative for leaders, the team goal is powerful for the entire company. Once you have a clear understanding of how your donations make a difference, consider engaging your team around a similar exercise. When a team's purpose supports the organization's mission and strategy, great things happen. What is the main objective of your team? What are the distinctive differences of your group? What is the big impact, the big service or the big difference that you will achieve collectively? Why does this team exist? Imagine a team of leaders who are clear about their individual purpose and their collective purpose. Sounds like a great place to be? It could be your team. Connect your individual purpose to the larger mission, and tremendous energy and commitment will be unleashed.
USAA CEO Stuart Parker has found a way to make the intersection of personal and organizational goals very clear. Stuart had personal challenge coins made, similar to those used by military leaders to recognize the excellence of members of their command. One side is engraved with Stuart's personal purpose - "Mission, Trust, Freedom" - as well as the pilot's wings he wore during his United States Air Force career. On the other hand, the USAA eagle and the company values:“Service, Loyalty, Honesty, Integrity”. He wanted to convey a powerful thought:How can your purpose serve our collective mission? Find pragmatic ways to make personal and team goals tangible and put at the forefront of daily work.
4. Don't confuse the path with the goal.
Be careful not to simply adopt other people's views of your goal. Too often, people internalize the latest personal development trend, spiritual teaching or management guru theory into a dogmatic, inflexible and restrictive practice. It is confusing the path to the goal. Finding your purpose is about discovering how your gifts can be used, not just adopting someone else's value systems. Personal development programs, religious systems and great teachers are the guides, the techniques and not the goal. Be careful with programs or systems that impose beliefs on you, thereby creating dependency and externalizing the real you. If the process values your uniqueness, individuality, and personal journey, it can be helpful. Always remember that the program or practice, no matter how challenging or satisfying, is the methodology and not the goal. The essence of goal mastery is the very personal process of discovering how your gifts can serve something greater.
5. Focus on service.
Purpose is not useful without serving others. It is not self-expression for its own sake; it is self-expression that creates value for those around you. Therefore, grab your freebies, but don't stop there. Focus on expressing your gifts to enhance the lives of everyone and everything you touch.
6. Be determined in all areas.
Too often, we might be determined in one area of our lives but not another. We can be determined at work and not so much at home, or we can be determined in personal relationships but not at our job. Once you have clarified how your gifts can make a difference, examine how determined you are in all parts of your life. Seeing these gaps in goals can reveal our true growth challenges. Too many leaders have lost their purpose because they didn't use their gifts in their personal lives or fully express their deepest personal values in their work. The congruence of purpose in all areas of our lives is the striving for mastery of purpose.
7. Learn from “failure”.
Failure is a subjective label that we apply to unplanned or unexpected experiences. Usually we are unwilling or unable to put these experiences into meaningful context. From the point of view of mastery of the objective, failure does not exist. It is life trying to teach us new lessons or trying to steer us in new directions. As Warren Bennis wrote in Becoming a Leader “Wherever you travel, therein lies the treasure.” But we must be open when we "travel". The next time you experience something you didn't plan or expect, ask yourself, What can I learn from this? When we live life on purpose, every life experience helps us decode the hieroglyphs of meaning. In the words of Emerson, “The world becomes a glass dictionary”.
8. Be flexible.
A true understanding of our purpose can take the form of a recurring theme that connects the divergent spheres of our lives. Like an orchestra performing a symphony, the expression of our purpose will change. For example, someone's true purpose in life may be to guide and nurture others. At different stages of the life cycle, this will be expressed very differently – as a student, a parent, a professional and a retiree. We need to be flexible, open to the process of expressing our internal sense of purpose in many different roles and life circumstances. Transaction managers follow established procedures consistently and predictably; transformative leaders bend to a myriad of conditions, dancing gracefully around a goal-filled core.
Related: Answer 6 questions to reveal your life purpose
Excerpt from Leadership from Within:Becoming a Leader for Life, Third Edition by Kevin Cashman. Reprinted with permission from Berrett-Koehler Publishers .
