Saturday, June 20th marked the first day of summer in 2020. This year, winter was hard and spring, even more challenging. I think we are all ready to turn the calendar to a new season and seek brighter days ahead.
As I’ve watched many companies and leaders struggle over the past few months it has me thinking a lot about the importance of mission and purpose and how grounding and necessary it is for both companies and individuals to have. A defined mission and purpose provides a light when the marketplace changes or shifts and gives us something to lean into that defines the work we do and unites and aligns our teams.
There is uncertainty all around us and it is hard to imagine that it can get worse, but it can and maybe it will. The past informs the future and certainly there have been worse times in history. We are seeing companies scramble to find their place, their voice and their message but it is easier for those who know their purpose. It is easier for those companies that defined why they exist and can unify and motivate both their employees and customers by leading and taking actions that have been run through the filter of their mission. If it doesn’t marry up to our mission and purpose, we shouldn’t be doing it.
So, that is the company mission and purpose but what about you as an individual? As a leader, are you clear on where you want to go and why you are either with the company you are working for, in the industry you have built your career in or in the job you have? Does your work reflect the values you hold and have you established your own personal “why”? There is nothing more inspiring than a person who lives and leads authentically and I would argue that the companies that have the most authentic and purpose-driven leaders are those that produce the best, long-term, financial results.
While summer is typically filled with retreats and fanciful getaways perhaps the atypical quiet of this summer represents a new opportunity to define or re-define how we think about our why and to create our own personal mission to guide us through this leadership moment and to become more authentic with ourselves and with our teams.
So many people I encounter say they want to work for a purpose-driven company but so few people take the time to define what that means. Purpose-driven companies come in all shapes and forms and there is not a need for them all to scream their purpose through a megaphone, nor do you. But knowing your purpose and mission is grounding and knowing your why will provide you direction, not only in this moment, but throughout your entire career.
If these last few months have left you fuzzy, or if you are finding the shifts more challenging to navigate, take this summer for the most meaningful work you will ever do as a leader. Spend this summer working on your own mission and purpose. Spend this summer working on you.
