[ The Opportunist ] by Niger Lim

Living Out Your Purpose at Work By Daniel Harkavy (LifeatWork)

In business we live and breathe numbers. Every year we set new goals; every month we accomplish one-twelfth of those goals, then wipe the slate clean. Every week in we celebrate those running ahead and lament over those lagging behind. Every day we crack the quota whip. No matter what we’re talking about - leads needed, prospects converted, SKUs sold, deals closed, income generated - it all focuses around numbers. We measure performance by team member, profitability by product, and keep careful track of return on investment, gross margin, and net worth requirements. You know the indicators on which you need to focus most intently to reach your annual targets.

This is what business is all about, right? I say, "Yes and no." On the one hand, you can’t succeed in business without paying careful attention to numbers. That’s obvious. Neglect the numbers, and you fail. But don’t forget that other hand! The frightening truth is, you can come up with all the right numbers and still fail. You can meet your quotas, improve your profitability, expand your market share, keep the shareholders happy, increase efficiency & and still get out of bed every day wondering, Do I really have to do this again? I’ve met too many less-than-happy, stressed out, unfulfilled, bitter leaders - who were all good at their jobs - to believe that making your numbers alone will solve all your problems. These men and women would be the first to tell you that there has to be more to business than numbers. But if that’s so, then what could it be? If producing good numbers doesn’t make for success in business, what does? I believe the answer revolves around discovering your vocational purpose.

What is your vocational purpose? Your business card or title may say this or that, but what is your vocational purpose? Is it more than "to build great systems’? Is it more than "to create accurate and efficient processes"? Is it more than "to build a furniture company" or "to sell a lawn-care product"?

You may be very good at what you do, but if at the end of the day you leave the office feeling professionally empty, spiritually hollow, and bored or weighed down, then most likely you need to re-infuse your task with a healthy dose of job significance. You need to reconnect the purpose of your heart to your actions. You need to start asking yourself not just "How can I lead better?" but "Why do I lead in the first place?" It may feel easier to skip such a big question, but doing so will almost certainly saddle you with a host of unwelcome passengers: boredom, fatigue, discouragement, even despair. Many who refuse to ask themselves about their vocational purpose wind up meandering from job to job, always searching (always unsuccessfully) for that "something else" that will finally give real meaning and significance to their workdays. What a waste!

Why a waste? Because you can find all the meaning and significance and purpose you need right where you are now. You don’t have to be constantly looking for greener grass. You needn’t be always on the hunt for a shining kingdom somewhere over the rainbow. The job you have right now has the potential to supply you with all the purpose you need to feel fulfilled and satisfied in your role as leader - you just need to change the way you think about your job. Based on my work with thousands of leaders over the past two decades, I believe it comes down to this: The key is to see yourself as more than a mere manager. Begin to perceive your role as that of a career and life improver for the people you lead! When you take on that challenge, you’ll find your job overflowing with purpose.

Do you want to become an even more effective leader than you already are? Effective leadership is all about taking followers on a journey that enables them to experience and accomplish more as a result of the coaching and vision you bring to them. Truly great leaders walk alongside their followers and help them to become more on this journey. That’s what these leaders see as their main purpose: to help their people develop professionally, personally, relationally and spiritually. The journey could last one year, three years, five years, thirty years - however long their teammates remain with them. But regardless of the time frame involved, people development is a top priority. That’s how they find real and satisfying purpose in their jobs. And there’s no reason the same experience can’t become true for you.

Excerpted from Becoming a Coaching Leader: The Proven Strategy for Building Your Own Team of Champions by Daniel Harkavy, © 2007, Thomas Nelson Publishers, used by permission. Learn more at www.becomingacoachingleader.com.

Daniel Harkavy is founder of Building Champions Inc, an executive coaching company with more than ten years of experience. As CEO and Head Coach, Daniel leads the Building Champions team while also coaching a select group of high-profile executives and leadership authorities. His team has successfully coached thousands of top executives, managers, and producers to improve their professional and personal lives. www.buildingchampions.com