Live A Purpose Driven Life At Work

Are you a high-expectations leader, who gets frustrated by people around you turning up but not switching on?

To get the best from the people around you the must believe in your leadership. Believing, which is the first B in our 4Bs model, is a critical capability you must nurture. Believing is about:

Believing in the mission and vision of the organization (why the organization exists)
Believing that the work that they are doing makes a difference
Believing that they are a great contributor to their team
Believing in their leader - that he or she is capable and cares about them and the team's success

If you want the people in your team to offer up more of their discretionary effort, you need to ensure that you have connected them with at least 2 or 3 of the above elements of Believing. For example, when I was leading a team in a dirty, dusty detergent powder factory, it was pretty hard to get people to feel inspired about making laundry powder! So we needed to focus on the other three elements of believing to get and keep our people engaged.

Clearly, Believing in their leader is something you have 100% control over.

So why would someone Believe in your leadership?

People who have a sense of purpose and who are clear on the impact they want to have are compelling.

Are you compelling?

Are you clear about your purpose?

Because if you aren't you are likely to be a ho-hum leader, leading a ho-hum team. Life is short and if you want it to be meaningful you need to have an Inner Compass, that helps you live, love and lead remarkably. Luckily, in our training "My Career, My Choice" you'll discover how to create your own Inner Compass so that you do become remarkable and have a strong impact.

In the meantime, read on about a young man I encountered several years ago, who may not realize it, but he's definitely living with purpose!

Are you compelling?

“If you don't have a clear sense of purpose, you'll be a ho-hum leader, leading a ho-hum team. Guaranteed!”

Shelley Holmes

Living a purpose-driven life - isn't complicated... as this story shows ... A barista who has purpose.

Some years ago, I visited a coffee shop, and the young man who served me (Matthew), apologized for his slowness in taking my order as he was "still learning the ropes."

When Matthew delivered my coffee. I commented on the beautiful design he had patterned on the top of the coffee (and this was when it wasn't a thing!). The conversation then went something like this:

Matthew: Thanks, let me know how you like it, it's my first mocha

Me: Wow it looks so beautiful, are you an artist?

Matthew: No, Yes, Sort of ... I'm doing an apprenticeship in coffee artistry

Me: I didn't know there was such a thing

Matthew: (face lit up and totally animated) Yeah, its fantastic. I've only just started it, but its great. You get to learn how to make all kinds of beautiful coffee and put extra touches on it that people love. Then when you are really good at it, you can travel the world and meet lots of neat people.

Me: Really

Matthew: Yeah, I"d love to go to Italy ....

We chatted briefly, then he went about his work and I turned to pick up my book and what would normally be an absent-minded drinking of my coffee. But something caused me to pause.

Matthew's Magic - a Purpose Driven Life in a Cafe Store

I looked at the coffee, it looked exquisite. Glancing over at Matthew, a huge grin on his face. Fiercely concentrating on delivering yet another spectacular creation to his next guest. I realized that this was no ordinary coffee. It was a coffee that had been made with joy, passion and love. It had been delivered by its creator with a quiet sense of reverence and I needed to honor it in the same way. So the book stayed closed and I slowly began to drink ...

It was simply the best Mocha I have ever tasted! I got to pondering why this coffee tasted so much better than any other. I came to the realization it was because it had been touched with a bit of Matthew magic. ( I ended up having a second it was so delicious!)

Before I left, I said to Matthew: "That was the best mocha I've ever had and I think I've figured out why. It is because you have such joy, passion and love for what you are doing right now. And it came through to me. Both in the way you spoke to me as I ordered the coffee, and in the way you delivered it to my table. You filled my coffee cup with your passion and joy, and I drank it in. If you keep being like this for the rest of your career, you will fill both your own life with delight, and that of the people who come to you for coffee. Because they will be getting a lot more than a hot cup of water with some coffee beans in it".

He was a little taken aback by this (probably thinking you weirdo!), and then another of those big grins: "Thanks I'll remember that".

Will Matthew sustain this joy, passion, and love throughout his working life? Maybe, maybe not. It will depend very much on the people and leaders who guide and influence him. One thing is for sure though, if he takes the time to understand what makes for a purpose driven life, he has a much higher chance of living most of his life this way. And, he will undoubtedly live a life of meaning and significance.

We will never know for sure, but it may well be Matthew's purpose to open people's hearts to the possibilities of living life with passion, joy, and love by delivering to them a coffee that is filled with it. So they drink it in to their very being (even if it is at a subconscious level) and take that feeling with them throughout their day.

His Passion Made a Difference to Many People

I watched, as people came in and out of that coffee shop for an hour. And nearly every one of them seemed to be impacted by a touch of Matthew magic. It may have been as subtle as shift in their body, or a larger smile as they walked away from him.

But one thing was for sure it was catching!

And isn't that simply a very noble purpose, and a life of significance already for one under age 20?

Are You Living a Purpose Driven Life?

A life of significance, bringing love, joy, and passion to the work you do and the people who are touched by it?

The sad reality for most is that the answer is a resounding "No".

So many people live life with less passion, joy, love, and significance than they could. Just because they don't understand how to live a purpose driven life ... what it is they are here to contribute and to discover.

They have become trapped in the grind of daily existence. Making a living, rather than living a life. Understanding how to live a purpose driven life is one of the keys to living each day in delight. Regardless of the 'job' you may find yourself in.

A Purpose Driven Life and a Regular Job are NOT Mutually Exclusive!

For example, say you discover that living a purpose driven life for you, means that you "bring spirit, and positive energy to others". Yet now you've got a problem because you find your job-expertise is within the field of information technology. Well, these two are not mutually exclusive.

Your job as an information technology expert can enable you to live purposefully. As you go about your work writing computer script, you focus on 'bringing spirit and positive energy to others.' This means that you treat others in a way that causes them to respond in a positive way to your presence. Which in turn enables your life to be much more fulfilling.

You Owe It Yourself And Those You Care For To Live A Purpose Driven Life

If you feel like you are living a shadow existence, and your inner light is no longer glowing: you are not living in passion, joy, and love. You possibly should spend some time working on how to live a purpose driven life.

You owe it to yourself, your family, friends, work colleagues and community to do something about it.

Find a mentor. Attend a course. Read inspiring books. Find anything/one that can show you how to re-ignite your life. Show you how to connect with your purpose, how to live a purpose driven life. Access our training: "My Career, My Choice"

Passion, joy, and love may already be available for you in your current job. All you need is someone/something to guide you to reconnect with your inner light and support you to living your life in purpose and with significance.

If your days are not filled with passion, joy, and love, but are merely one grind after another - then do something about it.

Just as passion is catching, so too is misery. In fact, misery seems to spread so much more quickly.

What are the people around you catching from you?

What do you want to do about it if your life isn't fulfilling to you?

A purpose driven life isn't that difficult - all you need to do is spend a bit of time understanding what that means for you and then deciding to live that way each day. Simple really :)