WHY CONNECTING WHO YOU ARE WITH WHAT YOU DO HAS TO BE ON YOUR HIGH-PERFORMING HABITS LIST
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Do you know your purpose? We ask because having a clear idea of what lights you up is kind of a big deal. The notion of knowing your true north is one thing, but have you considered how it provides unlimited fuel for your mission, powering you to go the distance in your business journey? And we’re all about adapting leadership behaviours and habits that improve our ability to create impact and change for the long term – the very definition of sustainable.
At foundher, one of the key pillars in our Ripple Effect Framework is identity – understanding who you are, why you do what you do, and how you want to show up to achieve your mission in the world.
Knowing your purpose is intrinsic to identity. When you connect who you are (your purpose) with what you do (your mission), extraordinary things unfold. This is when you can make truly meaningful change, and your results will be amplified.
One of the reasons knowing your purpose is so powerful is that it also bolsters your integrity and authenticity – which has a powerful impact on your leadership effectiveness. When you’re showing up authentically and with integrity, your leadership and influence has a greater reach, spreading your ripple effect even further. Watching your work move the dial is deeply rewarding, which in turn supports us in staying energised – yet another way we can regenerate from within.
Helping those who are committed to driving change connect with their purpose is at the core of the foundational development work we do at foundher. It’s not a simple task, and it can take time to refine what identity and purpose mean for you. Here are some steps that can help you along the way.
Finding clarity
Often, clients come to foundher brimming with ideas for their business or career direction. They feel driven to make a positive impact on the world and their energy is exciting.
But, before we dive into creating a strategy, we always start with building a rock-solid foundation – aka, a clearly defined purpose.
Here’s why: When you have a big goal in front of you, it can be difficult to know where to start. You feel pulled in every direction, and you may end up attempting to do everything at once. To reduce this reactive cycle, it helps to distil your purpose so you can translate it into a set of actions to follow. Your clearly defined purpose is the manifesto you can revisit over and over to keep you focused, sustained and energised along your journey.
So, how do you pinpoint your purpose and get really clear in your vision? Start by activating another of our Ripple Effect Framework pillars, awareness. Tune in to the ideas that keep nudging you for attention, the concepts that inspire you and the beliefs that feel right.
When our founder Elana began her journey from the corporate world to establishing foundher, she activated awareness and embraced a sense of curiosity to unlock her purpose.
“I began truly observing myself and others, getting deeply curious around long-held beliefs and allowing new ones to surface,” she says.
If you want to make a difference in the world but don’t know where to start, Elana’s top tip is to listen to the persistent ideas that keep bubbling up. “Instead of brushing them off or moving onto something else, start writing them down,” she says. “Let them out. Because it’s likely these ideas are visiting you for a reason. And that reason could be deeply connected to your purpose.”
Perhaps you already have an idea of what your purpose is. Your next step is to crystallise that idea even further.
Reflect on what your purpose is deeply about for you. Perhaps you’re dreaming of starting a sustainable swimwear label or an ocean plastics recycling company, or perhaps redirecting your data skills into carbon offsetting. Why? What impact do you want to have on the world with your work? What problems are you looking to solve? Dig deeper into your purpose until you land on the nugget of inspiration that will fuel your focus and commitment through distractions, challenges and detours.
These are the first steps we take when working with our clients – the end result is a purpose statement that drives their mission and fuels them along the way when the inevitable setbacks happen. Our clients tell us that, even years later, this is still at the heart of their work. How great is that!
Getting into alignment
Once you’re really grounded in your purpose you can begin turning it into a meaningful strategy for success – your mission.
Put simply, your mission is your purpose in action.
Knowing your ‘why’ is crucial for strategy work because it allows you to make informed decisions and act with intention. It becomes a key part of the conversation as you plan for the future. And it’s an anchor to come back to each day as you consider how you want to show up, for your business, your team and yourself.
You’ll know if your purpose and mission are out of alignment because it doesn’t feel great. When your values don’t match up with your actions, you can feel resentful about the work you’re doing, unmotivated and stressed.
On the other hand, when what you’re doing is aligned with who you are, work feels joyous, exciting and energising. Best of all, because it’s meaningful to you, your impact is amplified and your resilience is strengthened.
Here are some powerful ways purpose can play a big role for you and your business mission:
Your purpose plays a role in your authenticity and integrity – a great north star navigator.
You can avoid self-doubt – comparisonitis is not required when your mission is linked to your purpose.
A mission connected to purpose boldly shares with your customers, partners and team what you and your business are really about.
It’s home base. When business isn’t booming, when a project seems like it will never take off, and when your mindset dips, purpose offers a huge dose of energy to give you focus and momentum.
There are so many ways that evolving your identity fuels leaders of change to make a real difference. If you’re ready to build a higher-performing sustainable approach to your business, and transform your founder capabilities, sign up to our Sustainher program or reach out about our one-to-one partnerships.