{"id":7962,"date":"2020-06-18T09:27:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T08:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tpcleadership.com\/uk-en\/uncategorized\/meaning-and-purpose-why-you-need-both\/"},"modified":"2024-06-18T20:24:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T19:24:30","slug":"meaning-and-purpose-why-you-need-both","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tpcleadership.com\/uk-en\/cultural-change\/meaning-and-purpose-why-you-need-both\/","title":{"rendered":"Meaning and purpose: why you need both"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this blog, TPC Leadership Partners Andrew McDowell<\/a>\u00a0and Hilary Harvey<\/a>\u00a0discuss the importance of leaders being aligned to their meaning and purpose and the benefit this brings to themselves, their teams and their system.<\/span><\/p>\n

If a leader is aligned to a sense of purpose, it makes a positive impact on how they lead themselves, others, teams and their system. Their clarity and energy are likely to motivate those around them. Having a sense of purpose will rub off on their organisation, infusing it with meaning, providing direction and a source of inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a disconnect between how you\u2019re living and leading, and what your values are; then you\u2019re likely to end up in some kind of crisis. Andrew McDowell, a Partner at TPC Leadership, explains that people can experience either \u201can existential crisis, is where someone gets over-identified with doing and achieving to the point that they end up feeling lost, wondering whether their efforts have any value or purpose. Or they can experience a crisis of duality, where they get over-identified with the vision of what is possible, to the point where that vision becomes idealised, and it feels impossible to take any action to achieve it\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Either way, these crises stem from either failing to make meaning from what you are \u201cdoing\u201d or from how you are \u201cbeing\u201d, or from not having a sense of purpose that guides you towards right actions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that consciously working with meaning and purpose can be a pragmatic leadership skill that can be learned and cultivated. You can hone your relationship to meaning and purpose – and watch the benefits spill over into your organisation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meaning and purpose are distinct<\/b><\/h2>\n

If you are to cultivate a sense of meaning and purpose, it\u2019s essential to understand they are two different things.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a sense of purpose is like having a guiding star that you are journeying towards, or an ideal that you are pursuing\u201d says Andrew, \u201cwhile we make meaning from our experiences along the journey towards that purpose\u201d. In this way, having a sense of purpose is something to strive towards, while meaning is how we make sense of the journey, and motivates us to keep moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we don\u2019t appreciate the difference between meaning and purpose, we can end up neglecting one or the other.\u00a0 Being completely focused on a purpose, could result in losing touch with day to day and even bigger picture meaning. Being completely absorbed in finding meaning risks losing a sense of direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an ongoing process<\/b><\/h2>\n

Leading towards a purpose, and extracting meaning along the way, is a dynamic adventure. You don\u2019t just make a purpose statement one day, set your inner values and then glide forward effortlessly, propelled by purpose. It requires you to do some serious ongoing work. Purpose unfolds over time, and meaning is made everyday, it requires you to pay attention to your process.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to have the maturity and discipline to evaluate your decisions and look at their impact\u201d says Hilary Harvey, Partner at TPC Leadership. \u201cWhat\u2019s the choice I\u2019m making? What\u2019s the conscious meaning I\u2019m making from these day to day challenges?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the choices you make might not be easy. \u201cOnce you have a strong sense of direction and purpose,\u201d says Hilary, \u201cit requires courage to say, \u2018despite what the situation is apparently demanding of me, I\u2019m going to keep moving towards what I believe to be right and true.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Everything can be progress<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cWith every leader we work with, meaning and purpose are always part of it, whether they know it or not,\u201d says Andrew.\u00a0 \u201cEvery leader wants to be moving towards the fulfilment of a purpose, they want to have a meaningful experience, for their contribution to matter\u201d. Leaders can easily become caught up in the daily grind, in the immediate, in the tasks that have to be done. The key is to keep your connection to purpose and meaning alive.\u00a0 Even the smallest, most mundane of tasks, can be meaningful and contribute towards a purpose with the right mindset.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you lead towards a purpose, you don\u2019t necessarily know how it\u2019s going to turn out,\u201d says Andrew. \u201cThere\u2019s uncertainty to navigate. You need courage and resilience to keep moving, and discipline and insight to make meaning of what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, perhaps more than ever, our organisations need leaders who can consciously take this journey and navigate the uncertainty it entails.\u00a0 In an unpredictable, ambiguous world, having the personal leadership required to stay aligned to a sense of purpose, inspiring others to pursue a collective purpose, and supporting all to extract meaning from their contributions, could turn out to be the ultimate strategic advantage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Want more insight on how to move forward?<\/b> Get in touch with us<\/b> to find out how we can help.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this blog, TPC Leadership Partners Andrew McDowell\u00a0and Hilary Harvey\u00a0discuss the importance of leaders being aligned to their meaning and purpose and the benefit this brings to themselves, their teams …<\/p>\n

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