A tree is but a bush if not for its strong roots. Strong roots require healthy seeds and soil. For the weaker its seeds, the thinner its branches, and thus the lower its rise.
Sound familiar?
Business and Leadership life cycles have similar forces – foundation, growth, maturity and sustainability and/or renewal – all of which highly depend on the strength of its seeding, rooting, rising and setting.
Last week, I covered how Service sparks your leadership fire primarily because it is one, if not the most important, nutrient in the health of your leadership rise and viability.
This week, I want to dig a few feet deeper into the soil to explore the spawn of this Service supplement. Mainly, Purpose! To serve without Purpose is like watering the soil without sowing the seed. Water it all you want, but if there is no seed to sprout, there is little value to your irrigation.
But where to begin this seeding process? What to do at each stage of the growth cycle? And how long is the road to maturity? Let’s explore the answers to these questions so you are tooled for planting the healthiest and heartiest Purpose seeds possible to spark your transformation.
First, let’s understand how and why Purpose is at the heart of the entire SPARK ecosystem:
- Purpose in Service: Making the Purpose of your service clear is very important because you want to know that it is indeed working, and how. But that cannot happen if you have not defined the drive, deployment and destination of your service initiatives. To give without expectation is great because it’s pure. But to serve with mind, eyes, ears, heart and soul in sync is transformational because during the later approach, all parties – giver, receiver and facilitator – are positively affected by the proceedings. Purpose takes service from pure to prolific!
- Prime Purpose: Having a Purpose signifies intent. But, moving that Purpose from intent to action is where the magic happens. Purpose is at the heart of the SPARK framework. It is the “why” that motivates the mindfulness and the compass that guides the giving.
- Purpose in Attraction: A defined Purpose is a magnet with an amplified positive charge. So powerful is its pull that aspirations stand no chance of failure. So voluminous is its velocity that no achievement can escape its grasp. Once in motion, its ability to attract the cited significance and envisioned impact is as good as given.
- Purpose in Resilience: Like solid roots under the soil, a worthy Purpose can act as a solid foundation that withstands all environmental forces. Committing to a defined Purpose helps form the conviction needed to overcome setbacks, and strengthen mental and emotional capacities which build the resilience required to persevere until the stated Purpose is achieved.
- Purpose in Knowing: To know something is not necessarily to understand that thing. In between the act of acquiring knowledge and doing something with that knowledge lives comprehension. And the core of comprehension is understanding the Purpose of why that knowledge is important and worthwhile. Sometimes this comes in the form of wisdom through experience, but most of the time it is motivated by a greater good or larger pursuit, which requires Knowing the who, what, where, when, why and how of that quest. Transformational leaders are constantly aware of this link and use it to pursue, propagate and perform for that Purpose.
Bottom line: In order to operate at optimal capacity in the SPARK realm, understanding, linking and living your Purpose within each element is vital.
A time-tested example of this level of Purpose-driven ambition is Dove. In 2004, Dove was merely a soap company – one of many – who were in the sales rat race. Their metamorphosis came when they completely redefined their Purpose. Through the establishment of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, Dove transformed its public perception to a brand that authentically champions women’s empowerment and wants to change the entire conversation around beauty. That was the Purpose seed planted, but they still had work to do. So, Dove made a bold decision to commit their entire communication campaign to this Purpose. And the one communication piece that exemplified the alignment of their Purpose was the Dove Real Beauty Sketches. Squarely focused on helping women develop a positive relationship with their appearance, Dove’s entire intention was, and still is today, to focus on highlighting the best qualities, and not the imperfections of their target market. They did this by raising the character, connection and consistency of their messaging.
This one communication campaign, built on resonating a true Purpose, became the most viewed viral ad campaign with nearly 135+ million views; has won numerous accolades, and has almost doubled sales to over $4 billion. A great testament to how taking a purposeful stance on an issue Dove itself, and many women around the world, felt deeply for can reverberate at all levels!
With the scene now set, let me address the 3 questions previously posed one by one.
Where to begin this seeding process?
Treat your transformation like a startup (the first step of any business or development cycle). Here, the focus should be on establishing a solid foundation by planting the seeds for success. But, not only bottom-line success but top-line significance. Here are essentials to keep in mind:
- Integrate Purpose in all you do
- Know who you authentically are
- Understand where you come from, and
- What your Ultimate Purpose Credo (UPC) is
This is the path to finding your “Why”, which is the seed you will commit to nourishing to full bloom.
What to do at each stage of the growth cycle?
With the startup seed in the ground, we move to the growth stage. This stage is about cultivating a secure base, plus a healthy flow and focus on impact. The key challenge here is consistency. Here are a few tips that can help:
- Focus on your “unique” Birth-day Gift
- Prioritize advancement by finding your Flow State – the magical zone where focus, creativity and productivity converge
- Constantly re-evaluate your path to fulfilling your Purpose by continually developing areas that you may have lost sight of along the way
- Growth is a time for transition, not stagnation, and the best way to avoid stunting your growth is to keep your eye on the prize – to make an impact!
This step is essential in your transformation lifecycle because it is at this stage where you cement your viability. Where your roots start to form, firm and fortify.
How long is the road to maturity?
Well, this really depends on the type of tree you are trying to plant. Let me explain. Certain species of trees reach full maturity early, while others don’t get there for 25-30 years. The same goes for you and/or your venture. The deeper the Purpose, the more ingrained the pursuit is likely to be. Thus, the longer the cultivation process. The maturity stage is characterized by the stability and steadiness of your Purpose-driven strategy, plan and tactics. It is here where the most successful leaders focus on continuing to drive growth.
Here are some tips:
- Don’t worry too much about timing, but more so about significance and impact – this will ensure continual growth because your authenticity will remain intact
- Focus on continuous improvement by finding that balance between transactional (process and control) and transformational (Purpose beyond the Self)
- Always remember, maturity is not just about maintaining what you have, but seeking out opportunities to expand and grow your Purpose (think: partnerships, mergers, acquisitions)
Finally, let me leave you with 3 practical tips for assuring Purpose is always motivated by and integrated-into your everyday leadership:
- Revisit Your Purpose Regularly: Ensure your and the organization’s Purpose is clear and adaptable. Make it part of strategic discussions.
- Communicate Purpose Continuously: Remind colleagues and employees of the organization’s Purpose to foster and fortify the unity and direction needed to see it through to fruition.
- Integrate Purpose into Decision-Making: Evaluate major decisions and base them on assurance of alignment with Purpose. This ensures your short-term actions support the long-term goals.
In summary, the best leaders are laser-focused on seeding, sowing, growing and maturing their organizations by planting Purpose seeds. They commit to constant cultivation of these seeds with a nurturing system in place at every step. With healthy roots in the ground, they can authentically harvest their success through heartfelt transformation.
Are you ready to sow and grow your Purpose seeds? If you are, please come join me at my 5-Step Transformational Leadership Masterclass beginning October 12, 2024. The program is built as a ground-up guide that covers how to use the five SPARK elements to place Purpose at the core of your leadership evolution and transformation. The start date is fast approaching and space is limited. Reserve your place by signing up at corporatesufi.com/spark-masterclass.