{"id":31592,"date":"2021-04-10T15:21:56","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T19:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=31592"},"modified":"2021-04-12T20:00:53","modified_gmt":"2021-04-13T00:00:53","slug":"lead-with-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/lead-with-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Lead With Purpose: Remind Them of the Why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What does it mean to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/leading-with-purpose\/\">lead with purpose<\/a>? And what can you, as a leader, do to instill a strong <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/having-a-purpose-in-life\/\">sense of purpose<\/a> in your team?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To lead with purpose means to lead with an acute awareness of the end goal. Leaders who lead this way provide their subordinates with a constant stream of reminders of the company&#8217;s mission, answering the question, &#8220;why do we do what we do?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn how to lead with purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Lead With Purpose<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Purpose creates a central message that guides the direction of the company. Purpose answers the question: <em>why do we do what we do? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To lead with purpose, you must first make sure that your subordinates understand what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-life-purpose\/\">your purpose<\/a> is in the first place. Often, leaders think that the purpose of the company is clear and apparent to all employees. Unfortunately, this is not typically the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To instill a strong sense of purpose in your organization, you need to provide your subordinates with a constant stream of direct signals that include reminders of your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/organizational-purpose-2\/\">company&#8217;s purpose<\/a> or indirect symbols such as catchphrases, iconography, and mission statements. Here are some tips on how to remind your team of your company&#8217;s purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Develop a unified language through catchphrases.<\/strong> Catchphrases may seem corny, but<em> their cheesiness gives them power<\/em>. Ridiculous phrases stick in the minds of team members. Catchphrases make company ideals easy to remember and immediately actionable. Keep it simple and straightforward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.<\/li><li>Shoot for the stars, but be happy with the moon.<\/li><li>Practice doesn\u2019t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use iconography and items to solidify your company\u2019s purpose. <\/strong>Put identifiable company objects and icons around the workspace. Such iconography could include awards, team photos, gear, or sketches. These items serve as a constant reminder to team members: <em>this is why we do what we do.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Set the bar, and set it high, especially with seemingly small tasks. <\/strong>If the small things are treated with the utmost care, this behavior will typically seep into larger tasks. To encourage these standards, develop phrases to translate your purpose into expectations. For example, if you\u2019re coaching basketball, and you want your players to give 100%, you may use the phrase \u201cBackline-to-Backline,\u201d implying that you expect them to sprint on every change of possession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-mental-contrasting\/\">mental contrasting<\/a>. <\/strong>Mental contrasting is the process through which you visualize an attainable goal, then visualize the obstacles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You visualize an eventuality: <em>this is where we\u2019re working towards.<\/em><\/li><li>You recognize your current state: <em>this is where we are today.<\/em><\/li><li>You discover obstacles: <em>this is what is currently in our way.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does it mean to lead with purpose? And what can you, as a leader, do to instill a strong sense of purpose in your team? To lead with purpose means to lead with an acute awareness of the end goal. Leaders who lead this way provide their subordinates with a constant stream of reminders of the company&#8217;s mission, answering the question, &#8220;why do we do what we do?&#8221; Keep reading to learn how to lead with purpose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,14],"tags":[254],"class_list":["post-31592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-management","tag-the-culture-code","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lead With Purpose: Remind Them of the Why - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Leaders who lead with purpose provide constant reminders to their teams about the why behind the work. 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