In this second entry in our four-part series on purpose, we’ll look at ways to align your personal purpose with your organizational role. In the next two entries, we’ll examine this topic from the other side: namely, how organizations can become more purpose-driven.
When you have a stronger sense of your personal purpose, you’ll be in a much better position to succeed in life. A purpose acts like a compass, narrowing your focus and guiding critical career and life decisions. This can be true even if you haven’t fully unearthed it.
Indeed, few things are as gratifying as understanding this crucial aspect of ourselves. Once revealed, it can be the engine that powers you to greater satisfaction in work and in life.
Aligning Personal Purpose With Your Organizational Purpose
That said, at this stage you’re not out of the woods. As the saying goes, a little information can be dangerous. How should you apply your newfound knowledge to your work experience?
That’s the focus of this piece.
Seek Roles that Fit You, Not Roles that You’re Supposed to Want
Finding your life purpose, or at least enough of it to be guided in the right direction, is like seeing Northern Lights or watching a Cheetah run at full speed; it’s something you don’t forget. There’s a clear before and after.
Elevate Your Leadership: Align with Purpose
This means that your current role, and any future role, will be evaluated through the lens of purpose.
The problem is that organizations are often terrible at designing interesting, purpose-satisfying jobs. It’s not necessarily that these jobs don’t exist; they could, but a lack of organizational imagination means they’re not on anyone’s radar. The result is that too many jobs don’t match the passions and skills of the people doing them.
There’s a major cost to this state of affairs. If the misalignment goes on for too long or feels too overwhelming, employees will check out. Resignation will take over. They may use words like “soul-sucking” or “boring” to describe their workplace.
Burnout is also common in this situation, which has often been found to manifest not from doing too much work, but forgetting why you do the work.
If this describes you, you have three options:
- The first is to find an existing role within your organization that more strongly aligns with your purpose.
- The second is to advocate for it. There are various reasons it may not exist, including that aforementioned lack of imagination on the part of managers. So why not make your case for a new role perfectly suited to your unique strengths? The stronger the overlap between your purpose and your organization’s purpose, the better your chances will be.
- The third option is to seek a sense of purpose elsewhere, at a different organization. Given the stakes, be sure you take time to reflect before choosing an option.
Get Clarity
Even if you have a strong grip on your purpose, alignment can only go so far if you’re not clear on your organization’s purpose.
A strong, clear purpose defines what a company stands for. This is as critical for employees as it is for customers; arguably more so because it offers a powerful shortcut to decision-making. In the face of challenges or conflicting information, employees can use the simple question “Does this align with our purpose?” to guide their path of action.
All of which is to say: if you don’t truly understand what your organization’s purpose is, you won’t know the extent to which your work on behalf of the company embodies your purpose.
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If this is the situation you’re in, you should seek greater clarity from your managers. In an ideal world your initiative will inspire them to refine the organization’s purpose as needed (and then, of course, put their words into action!).
On the other hand, some organizations don’t communicate well, and the purpose they’re organized around may be more informal. Here again, seeking out information should be illuminating to you and, perhaps, may motivate them to make corporate purpose a more formal pillar of the organization.
While you can’t control it if your managers don’t communicate well, you can show that you value more openness and discussions around the company’s purpose. By setting a good example, you just may inspire your managers and teammates to get more serious about organizational purpose.
Tip
There’s always an adjustment period when starting any new role. So if you do decide to pivot (or leap) toward your purpose, make sure you give things enough time before rendering a verdict.
Knee-deep in the early chaos and bureaucratic overload, you may find yourself doubting whether you really are following your purpose. Maybe, maybe not—but you owe it to yourself to stick around long enough to find out.
Be Willing to Upgrade Yourself
This point relates back to the first suggestion, to look for roles that better align with your purpose. Of course, even if you do find one, there’s a chance that you may be unqualified for it. While this may be disappointing at first, all isn’t necessarily lost if you’re willing to put in the work.
As we mentioned in the previous post in this series, the road to living in alignment is often strewn with obstacles. It’s a process, not a one-off. This means that if you find an opportunity that seems perfect, or close enough, you may very well have to work for it.
This may involve additional skills training or even going back to school. Only you know if the effort is worth the cost. But at least the option is there.
“To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.”
– Kofi Annan
Let It Go
For the vast majority of workers, despite their best efforts they’re never going to feel completely fulfilled at work. There will be some gulf between their purpose and their organizational role, and the two may even come into conflict from time to time.
Yes, some people truly love every inch of their job. But most have a list of things they like about it and those they don’t. Ideally, the former greatly outweighs the latter. Like life, work sometimes requires compromises and accepting imperfections. We can’t always get what we want . . . but if you try sometimes, you can get the personal alignment you need.
And it’s also important not to expect your work life to fulfill every aspect of your purpose. Your purpose should be a threadline throughout your life – showing up in your friendships, other personal relationships, your hobbies, how you spend time on the weekends, and what you think and dream about when you’re by yourself.
If you find you’re compromising on your personal purpose too much, it may be a sign it’s time to find a new role—or, if none exists where you are, an entirely new organization.
Just as only you know what your purpose in life is, only you know what compromises you can accept. The ball is in your court. What will you do with it?
Unlock Your True Potential: Align Your Purpose with Your Enterprise
At Navalent, we believe in the transformative power of purpose and leading effectively. It’s not just about finding your personal compass but also about ensuring it points in the same direction as your organization’s goals.
Our tools, insights, and expert guidance can help you navigate this alignment seamlessly, ensuring you not only find satisfaction in your role but also become a beacon of inspiration for others.
Learn how you can:
- Build an environment that deals with dynamic change, all while leading your organization to success
- Build a sense of purpose alongside your organization and help your team members do the same
- Develop the leaders of tomorrow your organization needs
Remember, when your personal purpose resonates with your organizational role, the results are nothing short of magical. You not only achieve professional success but also find deeper meaning and fulfillment in your daily endeavors.
Unlock your true leadership potential within your organization. Contact us today.