Serving Purpose

Copyright ©2003 by Don Blohowiak
Don@LeadWell.com http://www.LeadWell.com/

You probably know some exceptionally talented individuals who just can't seem to muster much from the people they are charged with leading. Conversely, you likely know people whom you, admittedly, consider rather mundane but who nonetheless with their equally unimpressive staffs always seem to deliver great results.

What accounts for these mysteries of organizational performance, and what are the implications for your leadership?

MISCONCEPTION EXPOSED

The reason underlying such apparent paradoxes: A popular notion of leadership is very wrong.

This currently favored but misguided concept bubbles from the very heart of how most people today define a leader: In terms of personal traits. E.g., having a vision, inspiring others, thinking strategically...

The specifically prescribed leadership ideal varies. Considerably. An effective leader is, take your pick, either charismatic or humble. Relentlessly tough, or affirming and amiable. A challenger to tradition, or a devotee to process. And on and on.

Some leadership experts list scores, even hundreds, of attributes to describe the essential constitution of a "real leader." The ideal-person theory holds that by exposing leaders -- rare, wonderful and extraordinarily gifted persons -- to other (read: lesser) people, the masses are thereby POOF! magically enabled to accomplish deeds they otherwise could not.

History belies and denies this view of leadership.

LEADER IMPERFECT

Leaders, even the exceptional and most famous ones, are not near-perfect beings who accomplished notable deeds simply by allowing a little of their fairy dust to rub off on others.

Consider the cases of Nelson Mandella, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill, and Jack Welch -- all accomplished folk whose famous names inevitably spill forth when people are invited to name leaders they admire.

This electronic medium obviously discourages a lengthy biographical discussion of all these individuals, but each has led a well-documented life. That body of literature demonstrates that these noted leaders:

A) are exceptionally different from one another,
B) were not all obvious great leaders throughout their lives, and
C) are quite flawed human beings.

These realities defy both a "common traits and characteristics" definition of leadership, as well as the "great person" view.

The important conclusion and central point: Leaders are neither born nor made. Leaders emerge. And they emerge because of one critical, driving factor: Purpose. That critical factor of Purpose then meets two other key factors, Circumstance and Opportunity. And that union gives birth to leaders.

PURPOSE DRIVES EFFORT

True leaders come forth to serve a purpose with which they personally identify and have a driving passion to serve. In stepping forward to pursue their purpose, leaders, in turn, help to fuel the efforts of other people who also share an allegiance (perhaps undiscovered, unrecognized, and untapped) to that same purpose.

Leadership, then, might be described as emerging when a capable person with a sense of purpose meets circumstances bearing the seeds of opportunity.

Consider, in the context of context, the purpose of each famous leader mentioned above.

•  Mandella, 27 years in a jail cell in apartheid-torn South Africa: Obtain freedom for both the oppressed and their oppressors who are trapped in a terribly limiting mindset.
  
  
•  Lincoln, underestimated by even his own cabinet, amid the civil war-torn U.S.: Preserve the Union despite the considerable opposition and agonizingly terrible costs.
  
  
•  Mother Teresa, "very small, quiet and shy," from a wealthy family, for 15 years a teacher to daughters of India's wealthy, who encountered that nation's demoralizing poverty while on a journey to a retreat: "I heard the call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor." 
  
  
•  Churchill, a not well-liked critic of his government: Resolve absolutely to defend Britain against the brutal assault of and potential domination by the Nazis.
  
  
•  Welch, an abrasive corporate maverick: Reform, with tough love, a tired, stodgy old corporate conglomerate to assure its future as a model, leading company.

ANEMIC PURPOSE

Not surprisingly, an uninspiring corporate purpose leads to uninspired leadership with uninspired dedication and uninspired effort by employees.

This is why a rallying cry of "Make the stockholders richer!" motivates nearly no one. Even when employees also have a financial stake in making their company's stockholders richer, the allure of greater remuneration really only drives the day-to-day actions of two kinds of people: Those who have not yet had their basic financial needs met, and those who are greedy. For the rest, more money is a welcome plus but not a motivator.

PEOPLE OF PURPOSE

There are basically three types of people in the world:

• Those with a sense of purpose
• Those looking for a purpose
• Those who are oblivious to purpose

Leaders with a purpose, even the most flawed among them, can help mobilize the first two kinds of people. That's because a passion for purpose is communicable, infectious. And it overcomes many short-comings. All of us forgive the imperfections and trespasses of our leaders when we believe them to be earnest and dedicated to a cause we share with them.

Leaders infused with purpose come in two basic models:

1. Intimate leaders -- those with a person-focused purpose (leading people with whom the leader has a relationship);

2. Symbolic leaders -- those pursuing purpose on a grander scale (exceeding the leader's capacity to effect people interpersonally; essentially directing from a raised platform).

Intimate leaders derive meaning and satisfaction from the accomplishments of their work group, and the relationships and personal growth that take place within it. For instance, an accounting manager who spends time personally with her staff. She makes a point to reinforce the import of each individual's work to the success of the company, its customers and the community. She takes an interest in each person's personal development and has earned the trust, respect, and extraordinary discretionary effort of her work group.

Symbolic leaders, on the other hand, often give little emphasis to personal relationships with their immediate colleagues. Their focus is on the macro manifestation of their larger-than- one-life purpose. To them, the organization is a canvas on which to paint big dreams, plan grand achievements, and organize for great success. Example: A shy division manager plotting relentlessly and reclusively with a small inner circle; mapping how the firm can dominate its market with cutting edge products and great customer care (antithetical to this manager's style, but valued nonetheless).

Both kinds of leadership can be necessary, legitimate, and desirable in organizations.

LEADER'S ACT!ON AGENDA

• Identify your own purpose. What are you striving for? What themes are played out by your actions? How does your work align with your own uniquely personal purpose in life?

• Consider your employer's purpose. Is it clearly identifiable? Does it happily get you up in the morning and joyfully keep you up at night? Does serving it evoke commitment and satisfaction in you? Does it make it easy for you to proudly proclaim: "I spend the vast majority of my precious waking hours supporting this cause!"?

• Reinforce with your associates the purpose of your group's collective work. Take time to take stock of how your joint efforts contribute to a larger cause. Find ways to emphasize the meaning and greater good of your accomplishments.

~~~~~PARTING THOUGHT~~~~~

There is no substitute for having a true and clear purpose in your life and in your work. Even the most mundane undertakings can be imbued with genuine purpose. (I have observed it in office cleaning services, bill collection departments, even by dedicated front line workers whose job is to work with raw sewage.)

Rekindling your sense of purpose in your corner of the business will do wonders for your personal satisfaction, your staff's morale and productivity, and the results you produce.

If you cannot discern or reconcile the alignment between your personal purpose and the purpose of your organization and work, investigate your alternatives.

Let us know how we can assist. Lead On. Lead Well.

Don Blohowiak

Lead Well® helps organizations to improve measurable results by developing their current and future leaders. For more information, please contact us. By phone, toll-free in the USA: 1-888-LeadWell (532-3935), or 1-609-716-9490. By email, Info@LeadWell.com.

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Don Blohowiak, a management consultant and popular conference speaker, is the author of several business books. The executive director of the Lead Well® Institute in Princeton, NJ, he may be reached at http://www.LeadWell.com/.

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Copyright © 2005, Don Blohowiak, Lead Well Institute

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