A Leadership Challenge: Goals Versus Purpose
They have an underlying vision, mission, purpose and value system. These servant leaders seem to be the most successful - those who want to serve and make a difference in people's lives.
This thinking is a good way to get excited when waking up in the morning. It is also a good starting point to influencing people. Leadership, by definition, is the ability to influence people, so that is important.
One of my virtual mentors, Marshall Goldsmith, talks about the difference between goals and purpose. He is a top leadership guru with a seven-figure yearly retainer, who coaches already successful people to be even more successful. You may want to take a note of his name.
I remember in one of his articles he talks about how, on surface level, purpose and goals seem to be very similar.
But in reality, even though we sometimes use them interchangeably, they're very different.
Goals are very specific for the things we strive for. They are the things we want to achieve. This is especially true when it comes to work or business goals.
Goals usually deal with getting certain results in a certain timeframe using set resources.
Purpose is a bit different. Purpose has a more abstract feel to it. Harder to put your fingers on. Have you ever tried to write your purpose down? If you have, you may have found it more difficult than just writing "I want to make {insert amount} this month."
Purpose is the why behind the thought and deed.
Let's go deeper into the variations between purpose and goals. He reveals that goals, if not properly used, can get you lost and make you mistake your purpose. You can be successful in business and make lots of money and yet be unhappy at home, and be unfulfilled in your life. This happens a lot with busy managers and executives. They let their goal (make lots of money) override their purpose (create a great life for themselves and their family). Then they are surprised that their spouse and children are not happy even though all their material needs are met lavishly.
Sadly, sometimes it takes a heart attack to figure that out. Sometimes it takes someone close to you to have a tragedy in their life, or even unfortunately in our lives to get us back into a mode of what is really important in our life. I find that disturbing.
It does not have to be that way though. The solution is simple, but it may not be easy to follow through.
Here it is anyway. This is what I challenge you to do. Ask yourself, "What goals are taking up my (or my company's) resources?" "Where is my time and money being spent?"
Then rate the goal or goals on a scale of 1 to 10 according to how much it contributes to your purpose. The results are usually not what you expect.
Make changes accordingly. These changes may not be easy to implement, but it's definitely worth it.
Questions and Answers
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