What's the Purpose?
Why do I do what I do day in and day out, and to what end? Ever ask that question?
You know, most people unfortunately get up in the morning with the main purpose of going into work and delivering on a set of predetermined tasks, responding to the inevitable urgent fire drills and going home at whatever time you can complete that days' tasks.
It is no wonder that according to the most recent State of the American Workplace study conducted by the Gallup organization only 33% of U.S. employees are truly engaged at work. While 16% of employees are actively disengaged, that leaves 51% of us not engaged, showing up to work and existing to complete our daily tasks.
If this is the case for you and or your organization it is time to find your purpose! If you want better personal and organizational engagement you better get engaged! Once engaged, dig deep to find your personal purpose and then align it with your organizations purpose.
Unfortunately, often the main purpose heard throughout an organization may sound like, “Our purpose is to; (and you pick from the options) make a profit, drive shareholder value, or possibly be the best, low cost provider in the industry.” Now, while these are vitally important to any organization, they don’t drive engagement, they often do contribute to compliant, task-driven cultures and behaviors.
If you want better personal and organizational engagement, you better get engaged!
Without true engagement you and the organization will lose that “reason to believe” in the future and, over a period of time, the opportunity to sustain a profit and drive shareholder value will be lost while best and brightest talent leave to go to organizations that have a compelling purpose and connect it to everyone.
So what is your purpose? What do you believe in? What does or will excite you when you come into work each day? Do you believe that what you do makes a difference, if not, how can it? And finally, does the work you do help contribute to your personal purpose?
Without answers to these questions people and organizations tend to drift. Like a rudderless boat we drift from one wave to the next letting random currents steer our path.
So move from drifting like nearly 70% of the workforce, get engaged, define your personal purpose, actively work on an employee engagement team that defines, or refines your organizations purpose.
With a purpose, anything is possible!
To find out about purpose look to the fourth shift “From Drifting to Purpose” in the new book LeaderShift on sale now at Amazon.
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Cornerstone Learning is a performance and leadership consulting organization that has worked with clients all over the world. Our focus is working with individuals and organizations to create performance solutions that deliver top-tier results by inspiring, enabling, and developing employee-led, leader supported, and organization enabled performance. We are able to successfully deliver this through multiple products and services such as employee surveys, online training, performance assessments, and performance coaching. The goal at Cornerstone Learning is to assist our clients in developing a dynamic and customized blue print to deliver role model organizational and personal performance.
