The real meaning of purposeful leadership

We don’t need more purpose statements, we need more purposeful leadership, writes Fiona English

In a world awash with purpose statements, how can you ensure you or your organisation have the impact you desire?

Many leaders and organisations begin with the wrong question when it comes to purpose. They focus on "what" they will do rather than "who" they will become.

Purpose is an expression of identity, derived from who we are rather than simply what we do. It is not a thing you find. It is about the person you choose to become.

A purposeful leader asks themselves how they will use their position, power and the resources available to have a greater impact on others and society.

Purpose is uniquely human

When it comes to purpose, we are often cynical. We believe ‘purpose’ is esoteric or a nice statement to have.

But what makes purpose real is you. It cannot be outsourced to the organisation you lead or work for by simply crafting a ‘purpose statement.’

While any business can have a purpose statement, it is only leaders and employees who can breathe life into that statement through their choices. Purpose is real clarity on what the team members, team and organisation has committed to and the choices made as a result.

Purpose is a choice

Purpose, at its core, is about choice. It asks us what matters to us – as people, as citizens of our world, as leaders and employees of organisations.

Being a purposeful leader asks you to clarify what drives your choices and how they reflect who you are, your belief system, what matters to you.

It is those choices that have the power to amplify the impact you or your organisation can have in the world.

Purpose is disruptive

One of the least glorified aspects of purpose is that it is challenging. To have greater purpose in your life and work or to lead in a purposeful way in your business, you must first be willing to disrupt yourself and change how you are currently showing up in the world.

To have purpose, leadership and organisations must stop talking about it and start embodying it. Take the statement you have crafted around the purpose of your organisation and ground it into reality through your choices.

Purpose requires courage

Purpose cannot exist without courage.

Often, when we struggle with our purpose in life or work, it is not because we don’t know how to be more purposeful. We just don’t always like the consequences that come with being so.

We say we want more authenticity, greater equality in the world or solutions to the climate crisis. However, what we really want is all these things without sacrifice.

When it comes to many of the changes we need to see in the world today, our problem is not an absence of ideas or intellect but an absence of courage.

We make purpose real

It takes real leadership to define and execute purpose in life, work or business with integrity. We have to invest the time to get clear on who we are, who we wish to become, the impact we wish to have and the choices we are willing to make as a result. Only then can any purpose statement become reality.

Purpose is not real until we choose it to be.