Purpose is the Key to Culture and Employee Experience

Most of us get up and go to work every day because we want to do something that helps. If we spend 8 - 12+  hours of our days at work, we want that time to matter in some way, to make people’s lives easier, better, healthier in some way.

It’s also true that the last year has been hard to get up and show up in all the ways we’d like to at work. Whether you've been:

• navigating sickness and loss 
• locked down at home
• helping children learn at the dining room table
• caring for neighbors and relatives
• going to work as essential workers risking your health and the health of your family
• facing realities of social inequity, discrimination, and unrest
• taking on endless zooms
• trying to keep the many pieces of your life together in whatever ways you could 

No matter what your pandemic experience has been, we all share in the reality that it hasn’t been easy.

What matters most?

"What matters most?" This is the big question coming out of this pandemic.  We’re asking ourselves, our families, communities, teams, and workplaces as we evaluate what we’ve learned over the last year, what we’re taking with us, and what we aren’t willing to go back to. This is the question driving our clients who are launching “culture” initiatives. How do we help people feel connected to their work and each other, and engaged in the organization? How do we get creative, stay focused and productive and make good decisions as we re-enter the world? The answer may not be what you expect, but it’s what I believe with all my heart. It’s purpose.

Purpose = Your Core Gift

We define purpose as “your core gift”.  It’s the contribution that only you, with your unique set of qualities, skills, strengths, talents, and perspectives on the world, can make. To be clear: Purpose is not a job, a role, a title, or function. Being a director, nurse, parent, or partner is not your purpose. Those roles may be ways you bring your purpose to life, as we all have many manifestations of purpose. Purpose is the fundamental gift that lights you up, that only you can give to your world.

Current research supports that people who are connected to their purpose experience more meaning in their life and work, are more productive, focused, creative, engaged, resilient, and even live longer. My experience helping people connect with and activate their purpose has been nothing short of awesome. There is some real magic in using science-based practices to guide someone into knowing their purpose which has been there all along and then seeing them live intentionally from that place.

People who know and live from their core gift experience their world differently. They often:

• see opportunities they didn’t see before
• are focused
• feel deep meaning in their lives because they align their choices with what truly lights them up
• contribute more intentionally and fully to their work, families, and communities with confidence and self-trust
• bounce back more easily when things are hard

When the world feels uncertain, fast-paced, overwhelming, and chaotic, it’s pretty incredible to know there’s constant stability within you that you can rely on to navigate the world with, in your core gift.

The Power of Purpose

As organizations start to focus on their employees and culture in ways they never have before, purpose is going to become increasingly important. I predict that workplaces that invest in helping their employees connect with their individual, team, and organizational purposes will see the biggest results when it comes to culture and employee experience. Organizations are complex, and navigating this new world is too. If you say to me: “Jen, name the most effective way we can create the best employee experience.” I will say: “Get people connected to the power of their purpose and do purpose work”.  Our human potential is directly linked to knowing what we are meant to give to our world. Do you want to unlock human potential? You have to get people connected to their purpose.

The good news?  We’ve been doing purpose coaching with leaders for 15+ years. We also facilitate “power of purpose” retreats for groups. If you’re interested in learning more, get in touch with us or book a call.

Also, you can sign up for our complimentary 30-minute “one thing” coaching sessions, where you can bring us one question, challenge, or issue, and we’ll get you going in the right direction with strategies and tools.