Closing the purpose gap
Leading with Purpose, Part 3
As we discussed in the first two posts in this blog series, finding your personal purpose is an essential ingredient of finding meaning in what you do. Once you start looking at your profession through a purposeful perspective, you very well may start to see business opportunities that you did not see before. As one executive we worked with in this space said “Once I realized that what I wanted was to help people live healthy and fulfilling lives, I started to see just how much potential there was in the work we do, even if it wasn’t driving the short-term numbers. Knowing what I stood for and seeing the need in the world meant that I was prepared to back new market opportunities because I knew it was the right thing, as well as ultimately good business. I was no longer prepared to live with the conventional wisdom inside the organization. Now we have opened up a whole new segment that is one of our most promising. Being more purposeful unlocked my courage and my creativity in ways that not much else could.”
Today, most executives agree that purpose is important. According to EY and HBR’s “A Business Case for Purpose,” 89% of executives say that an organization with a shared purpose will have higher employee satisfaction, and 84% say that business transformation efforts will have greater success if integrated with purpose. Despite this, only 39% say that their purpose is clearly articulated and understood in the organization. But for Millennials and the majority of employees these days, the expectation of a clear purpose is now the norm. If you don’t have it, they notice right away.
So, what can you do about this organizational purpose gap as a leader? Once you’ve uncovered your own sense of purpose, there are two next steps that you can immediately apply:
- Reflect on the last time you talked to your team about purpose and what your purpose is. What motivates you the most? If it’s been more than a couple quarters (or longer) since you shared that, perhaps use an end of quarter celebration or a memo or some other upcoming communication to reflect. It could be along the lines of, “Many of you have asked me why I spend my time on X, why I’m still here, why I’ve spent so many years here…. So I just wanted to share what motivates me, what I’m passionate about, etc.” and welcome people to share for themselves what motivates them. It’s critical that you define it in your own words, and are completely authentic in it. Purpose is a double-edged sword – if it doesn’t feel authentic, it can create cynicism, but if it is genuine, it can be very inspiring.
- Create a series of senior team conversations where people prepare and reflect on some of the recent moments they’re most proud of, the moments when they’re happiest at work and with the team. By doing this, people will uncover what truly motivates them – and you’ll find out a number of things about your team. To get the conversation started, sometimes it’s helpful to share your personal purpose as well as a few different purposes that have come from your peers to allow people to warm up to some of their reflections.
The Pursuit of Organizational and Personal Purpose in Parallel
Bridging the purpose gap and finding a way to pursue both organizational and personal purpose in parallel is where the power of finding meaning at work can drive true impact. If we look for strategic opportunities that present themselves as we try to tackle the worlds big challenges, there are suddenly thousands of ways that businesses can make a lasting difference and set themselves apart. Those businesses who are in pursuit of finding their purposeful advantage are fertile breeding grounds for meaningful careers and the delivery on the aspirational dream of great work doing great things.
We see reason for hope here. But only by looking at the purpose question as a driver of organizational advantage as well as by focusing on finding our own personal ‘Ikigai’ are we likely to avoid the search for purpose becoming another well intended promise that never quite delivers.
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La maggior parte delle riunioni di vendita non fallisce.
Semplicemente non porta a una decisione.
Ed è lì che si perde valore.
I clienti di oggi sono più informati, più selettivi e hanno meno tempo.
Non hanno bisogno di altre presentazioni di prodotto.
Hanno bisogno di conversazioni che li aiutino a stabilire le priorità, decidere e andare avanti.
Eppure, il 58% delle riunioni di vendita non riesce a creare valore reale.
Non perché i venditori manchino di capacità, ma perché le conversazioni non sono progettate per far avanzare le decisioni.
“I clienti non agiscono su ogni esigenza che riconoscono.
Agiscono quando qualcosa diventa una priorità.”
In questo breve executive brief scoprirai:
- Perché la maggior parte delle conversazioni informa… ma non porta all’azione
- Cosa spinge davvero i clienti a stabilire priorità e muoversi
- Come creare urgenza senza compromettere la fiducia
- Il passaggio dal presentare soluzioni al facilitare decisioni
- Cosa distingue le conversazioni che si bloccano da quelle che accelerano il progresso
Se i tuoi team stanno affrontando trattative bloccate, decisioni ritardate o un pipeline lento, questo brief ti aiuterà a capire il perché e cosa fare in modo diverso.
Scarica l’executive brief e scopri come progettare conversazioni che portano davvero a decisioni.
A maioria das reuniões de vendas não fracassa.
Elas simplesmente não levam a uma decisão.
E é aí que o valor se perde.
Os clientes de hoje estão mais informados, mais seletivos e com menos tempo.
Eles não precisam de mais apresentações de produto.
Precisam de conversas que os ajudem a priorizar, decidir e avançar.
Ainda assim, 58% das reuniões de vendas não conseguem gerar valor real.
Não porque os vendedores não tenham capacidade, mas porque as conversas não são desenhadas para impulsionar decisões.
“Os clientes não agem sobre todas as necessidades que reconhecem.
Eles agem quando algo se torna prioridade.”
Neste breve material executivo, você vai descobrir:
- Por que a maioria das conversas informa… mas não gera ação
- O que realmente faz os clientes priorizarem e avançarem
- Como criar urgência sem prejudicar a confiança
- A mudança de apresentar soluções para viabilizar decisões
- O que diferencia conversas que estagnam daquelas que aceleram o progresso
Se suas equipes estão enfrentando negócios estagnados, decisões atrasadas ou um pipeline lento, este material vai ajudar você a entender o porquê — e o que fazer de diferente.
Baixe o material executivo e aprenda como desenhar conversas que realmente impulsionam decisões.
La mayoría de las reuniones de ventas no fracasan.
Simplemente no llevan a una decisión.
Y ahí es donde se pierde el valor.
Los clientes de hoy están más informados, son más selectivos y tienen menos tiempo.
No necesitan más presentaciones de producto.
Necesitan conversaciones que les ayuden a priorizar, decidir y avanzar.
Y, sin embargo, el 58% de las reuniones de ventas no logra generar un valor real.
No porque los vendedores carezcan de capacidad, sino porque las conversaciones no están diseñadas para impulsar decisiones.
“Los clientes no actúan sobre cada necesidad que reconocen.
Actúan cuando algo se convierte en una prioridad.”
En este breve informe ejecutivo descubrirás:
Por qué la mayoría de las conversaciones informan… pero no generan acción
- Qué es lo que realmente hace que los clientes prioricen y avancen
- Cómo crear urgencia sin dañar la confianza
- El cambio de presentar soluciones a facilitar decisiones
- Qué diferencia a las conversaciones que se estancan de las que aceleran el avance
Si tus equipos están experimentando acuerdos estancados, decisiones retrasadas o un pipeline lento, este informe te ayudará a entender por qué y qué hacer diferente.
Descarga el informe ejecutivo y aprende a diseñar conversaciones que realmente impulsen decisiones.