The aspiration to become a leader in modern society is often driven by the pursuit of greater financial rewards, power, career advancement, elevated status, and ego satisfaction. Essentially, leadership is seen as a pathway to achieving these external markers of success.
Those who are solely motivated by these outward gratifications may neglect their intrinsic purpose until a crisis confronts them with why-questions. But even then, many choose to ignore their fears, silence their inner voice, and avoid important self-reflections.
Discovering your intrinsic leadership purpose is crucial. Without having one and clarity on what truly matters to you as a leader, leadership itself becomes an illusion. It is never too late to uncover your purpose; however, the earlier it is grasped, the more fulfilling your life will be.
Consider this perspective: The average life expectancy in Europe is approximately 30,000 days. By multiplying your current age by 365 and subtracting the result from 30,000 provides a rough estimate of your ‘life math,’ highlighting the time left to discover your purpose. A significant portion of it is already consumed by meeting expectations of others — from family and school to university and employers — often at the expense of personal needs and wants. Many of us eventually realize that it is easier to align our choices with the expectations of others rather than delve into our own meaning system — into the true source of leadership: “within you.” By midlife, we may have the means but lack meaningfulness.
Leadership Purpose Paradox
There is a paradox of leadership purpose: Those who focus on intrinsic motivations tend to achieve greater extrinsic success, while those obsessed with external rewards sooner or later fail themselves and lead their organizations to disaster. The larger the organization under such leadership, the greater the risk.
Elizabeth Holmes
This is Elizabeth Holmes, ranked in 2014 among Forbes’ richest women in America and valued at $9 billion thanks to her blood-testing startup, Theranos.
With her black turtleneck, baritone voice, and incredible charisma, Mrs. Holmes captivated the world with her goal of making healthcare more accessible for all. She claimed her technology could perform comprehensive tests with just drops of blood, revolutionizing traditional blood testing.
However, as it was later revealed, Theranos’ machines were not providing accurate results. Mrs. Holmes knew this. Her company was just diluting blood samples and subjecting them to “traditional tests” instead of using its acclaimed technologies.
In October 2015, a journalist of Wall Street Journal John Carreyrou reported that Theranos had misrepresented the success of its blood-testing devices. Initially denying these allegations, Mrs. Holmes eventually faced charges and was convicted of wire fraud, currently serving an 11-year sentence in federal prison.
What lessons can we take from this story in terms of instrinsic leadership purpose of Elizabeth Holmes?
Lesson #1: Her relentless pursuit of glory and wealth caused her to abandon her moral compass, integrity, and intrinsic motivation to serve others, resulting in her imprisonment.
Lesson #2: Despite many chances to stop the fraud, she rejected feedback and got rid of employees, including her CFO, who suspected the crime.
Lesson #3: Elizabeth lost her footing and refused to accept the reality she didn’t like.
Lesson #4: Copying Steve Jobs’ leadership style and even his way of dressing didn’t help her become a purposeful leader and a true visionary.
Intrinsic Purpose to Lead
So, what is this – intrinsic leadership purpose? In a nutshell, it revolves around two ‘G’s: Give and Grow. This means that leaders dedicated to serving others understand that their work, and that of their teams, can be productive, profitable, and fulfilling.
These two “G”s manifest in various ways. For instance, it involves empowering team members to succeed, committing to endeavors that deeply resonate, staying true to personal beliefs, innovating to make a meaningful impact, deriving satisfaction from building great teams, engaging in continuous teaching and learning. These and many other intrinsic motivations not only drive organizational performance but also foster a sense of purpose that leaders can share with others.
We all want to follow those who create meaning for us and seek organizations that make our performance meaningful. Moreover, we want to feel part of something greater than just earning a monthly paycheck; we wish to see that our efforts are counted, acknowledged, and appreciated.
While artificial intelligence supplements the way we use our minds, it will never replace the essential leadership qualities rooted into our hearts, such as empathy, passion, compassion, courage, values, intuition, and ultimately our purpose.
As leaders, we must cultivate these qualities and integrate them with our cognitive abilities. This integration of our head with our heart is the key to leadership, with an intrinsic purpose at its core, derived from the individual life story of a leader.
Life Story
Our life story makes us humans and serves as an alignment point for our talents, passions, and values. Along with self-awareness and the choices we make, it guides us in discovering our purpose in life and our purpose to lead. By interpreting key events we encounter and reframing them, we are capable to transform our challenges into opportunities for personal growth and can turn personal tragedy into incredible triumph.
According to the famous psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, people suffer from neurosis until they understand the meaning of their suffering, paving the way for personal growth and purpose. Crisis and major life transitions push us to reimagine our purpose throughout the life cycle, making it dynamic rather than static. As the great Jungian analyst James Hollis stated, “Only death is static; the fundamental law of life is that we must go through many deaths and rebirths if we want to live a meaningful life.”
As authors of our life stories, we have the power to change the way we tell them. Even minor adjustments to our stories can profoundly influence how we live and how we lead.
How to Unlock Your Leadership Purpose?
The journey to unlock your purpose begins with believing that you have one. Yes, it sounds less scientific and more spiritual, but as humans, we can’t explain it otherwise.
According to Viktor Frankl, the famous Austrian psychiatrist who survived the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Dachau, life’s essence lies in taking responsibility for discovering the correct solutions to its challenges and fulfilling the ongoing tasks it presents to each individual.
By following the steps below, you can embark on a journey of self-discovery and unlock your intrinsic leadership purpose, enriching your life and enhancing your positive impact on those around you:
1. Think of your life as a spiral staircase, with many steps behind you and many ahead. Each phase has its own special questions, and how you answer them determines your path. They might sound different depending on your age, stage of transformation, and circumstances you meet. For instance, in young adulthood, we often ponder, ‘What is my calling?’ In midlife, we may ask, ‘Does my life matter and to whom?’ Sometimes, during periods of uncertainty, the question may be, ‘What is my life all about?’ In elderhood, we reflect on our legacy. Choose a question that resonates the most with you now and try to find your answer.
2. Recall significant events in your life and ask each of them, “What are you here to teach me?” Write your reflections down and keep adding to them further. Expressive writing and sharing your feelings and thoughts is not only healing but also eye-opening.
3. Make a list of people who have had the most influence on you and ask yourself why. Be sure to write down your reflections as well.
4. Think about the talents you have for serving others. In order to do that, please recall the moments you felt good helping someone else. Engage your inner circle in this discovery process.
5. Purpose means action. It will not become meaningful until you apply it to the challenges you encounter in the real world. Act first, then observe and reflect. Inspiration comes to those who act. If acting, you are still having a hard time grasping a sense of purpose, focus on your curiosity; it often helps unlock your purpose as well.
6. Your energy follows your purpose. Reflect on how you wake up these days; it reveals something about your purpose, too.
What mood did you wake up with today?
Did you resist getting up, or did you get out of bed full of energy?
Having a reason to get up in the morning can add not only years to your life but also life to your years!
7. Finding alignment between your personal purpose and the purpose of your organization becomes the motivating force of your leadership.
Do you feel connected to the purpose of the organization you work for or one you have founded?
Are you in an industry you feel proud of?
Do you have a leader or a coach who is helping you develop?
Are you in a job that plays to your strengths and talents?
8. And last but not least, keep learning until your last breath. Continuous learning is integral to life; without it, we slowly slide into a meaningless existence. When we are motivated by learning rather than performance, we and our teams do our jobs way better.
Conclusion
Remember: Your leadership purpose is the essence of who you are and what makes you unique in this world. It will define your legacy both professionally and privately.
Every time you feel anxiety or fall into stress, it may be a sign that external ambitions have overshadowed your intrinsic purpose.
Leaders who subordinate their ego to their inner purpose step beyond themselves, think big, and inspire others to do the same.
Understanding and embracing your intrinsic purpose empowers you to become a true leader and live a meaningful and fulfilling life.