Purpose has become a bit of a buzzword. Which is great, because it is an important concept to think about, as humans (it helps us live longer) and as leaders (it improves our influence and performance). But it is also crippling. With all the talk about purpose, those of us who are most inclined to live up to it can feel overwhelmed. That has the opposite effect, of leaving us with inaction or status quo choices.
The power of purpose lies in small, mundane actions and decisions. Everything we do, every day, creates ripples that extend beyond ourselves, into our teams, families, and communities. By being intentional about what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and with / to / for whom, we can increase the positive impact of those ripples.
No one ‘cures cancer’ or ‘saves the rainforest’ at their job on Tuesday afternoons. But millions of us can do the things (study science, donate to research, support friends or family experiencing cancer, or encourage our oncologist spouse) that we are well-positioned to do. By doing those things that we are equipped to do, passionate about, and meet the world’s needs, we contribute to that huge, worthy goal. In other words, we live with purpose.
Living – and leading – with purpose has been shown to have powerful benefits for our performance, in terms of our physical and mental health, as well as motivation and fulfillment. Teams and organizations also benefit from their people having a clear sense of purpose, through improved engagement, collaboration, and innovation. Finally, people who are clear about the impact they want to have on the people and planet around them make decisions that have more positive impact. These are the three dimensions of outcomes I discuss in my book and other work: Me, We, and World.
But it can be difficult to connect the dots between our stressful, fast-moving, and dynamic lives, and the complex and ever-changing problems we see around us. Seeing that challenge among clients, colleagues, and partners, I created a dashboard to understand what we can actually do on a daily basis to live and lead purposefully. Through guiding hundreds of leaders over the past 15 years to align their lives and work with the impact they want to have, this framework emerged, with six Spheres of Impact. They are intentionally simple and universal: I have yet to meet someone who has shared an ‘input’ they make into their desired impact that doesn’t fit on the diagram.
The six Spheres are:
- Self – all the things we do in order to optimize our well being. Such as eating nutritious food, meditating, sleeping well, or socializing. These inputs are foundational to our impact as purposeful leaders. These inputs are strategic, intentional, and investments.
- Family & Friends – efforts to support the people around you, like encouraging children to be adventurous and learn; cooking nutritious meals for your family; and emotionally – or logistically – supporting friends, or chosen family. These inputs are direct contributions to developing healthy, empathetic, integrated humans.
- Job – the specific roles and tasks that you are somehow compensated for doing. Inputs for impact in the Job Sphere might include taking the time for intentional conversations to deliver hard feedback, putting in extra time to research suppliers with better environmental or human rights performance, or gathering and analyzing data to reveal bias in salary, promotion, or supplier terms.
- Workplace – distinct from the Job Sphere, we can have impact within our team or organization beyond our specific role. These inputs can be made through recruiting, mentoring, Employee Resource Groups participation, and informal interactions with coworkers outside of your direct team or role.
- Community – interactions with people and groups beyond your family, friends, and place of work might take the form of mentoring, volunteering, board service, or simple acts of kindness to acquaintances or strangers. These inputs enhance the communities we’re part of, building trust, collaboration, and empathy.
- Money – a form of investment just like the time, attention, and energy we dedicate in the other Spheres. We have impact through what we decide to buy, donate to, and invest in. None of these inputs require a minimum net worth. There are always opportunities to align our money with our values, no matter the amount.
Aligning our impact and lives is simple, but not always easy. It requires intentionality to consider how you are spending your time, attention, energy, and money. This intention pays back many times over by helping you to recognize and take credit for the impact you’re already having. And I’ve seen time and time again how recognizing those mundane efforts and the ripples they have inspires people to do more in the ways that make most sense for their current situation and desired impact. Which is how people manage to live and lead purposefully, without burning out or ‘doing it all’.
Take fifteen minutes this week to consider your six Spheres of Impact, or ask a colleague about theirs. What are you doing that you didn’t give yourself credit for? What might you stop doing that’s not aligned with the impact you seek? And is there one thing that you could add to one of the ‘under-invested’ spheres that would give you the fulfillment that you’ve been lacking?
Follow me on LinkedIn or email me for other inspiring leaders and their paths to deep impact, meaning, and purpose. Or email me to ask more about how to navigate ways for peer learning.
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