Purpose in Leadership: Doing Work That Lights You Up

I’m in the middle of a massive workforce study for a new client.

New CEO. Cultural transformation. 450 global employees. Dozens of reports. Thousands of data points.

And I have to say...I never get bored of this work. Not once in the last decade.

Why?

Because I get to live my purpose: To ignite a contagious curiosity that powers betterness.

I get to live my values while I work: Respect. Serve. Wonder. Create. Strive. Thrive.

I get to use each of my strengths (according to CliftonStrengths): Futuristic. Connectedness. Achiever. Activator. Strategic.

And yes, the work is hard.

Asking people to share what they really think. Finding the story inside the data. Helping leaders sit with what that story says about them and their leadership. Designing a better path forward.

It’s not easy work. But it lights me up. And that matters.

Because if your work doesn’t light you up. If it doesn’t energize you. If it doesn’t help you and others shine brighter. 

Take a moment. Pause. Reflect. Ask yourself why.

For me, my light didn’t just show up. It got brighter over time.

Because I took the time to understand the story of who I am.

Why I exist. What I value. What I’m good at. Where I feel my best. 

The same work I help leaders and organizations do every day.

You can do it too.

Because when that clarity clicks in, work stops feeling like something you have to do. And starts feeling like something you get to do.

It’s our job, and no one else’s, to know who we are. And to find the people and work that help us shine brightest.

So here’s today’s question: What about your work truly lights you up? Why?