In a recent coaching session with a successful entrepreneur and businessman, my client posed the following question – “I know what I’m trying to achieve but I’m not sure I really know why I want to achieve it. Can you help me?”
Working with successful, competent and intelligent clients, this issue frequently raises its ugly head. Many of us have learned how to set goals but few of us really know how to derive meaning and purpose from what we do. Goal setting typically focuses on the ‘what’ but in my executive coaching work, based very much in the domain of positive psychology, I also help people work out the ‘why’, which is exactly what my client in this case was lacking.
Because it’s the ‘why’ that provides the fuel to power the engine; it’s the ‘why’ that motivates action above and beyond the norm; it’s the ‘why’ that provides additional levels of satisfaction and happiness, joy and pride, contentment and other vitally important positive emotions.
So how, then, do you find your ‘why’?
Well, I do it in the same way I do for almost any other variable on which I’m focusing with a client. I suggest that if you want to find something, first find a way to measure it. In previous discussions with my aforementioned client I’d become aware that he used, in his business, a form of ‘dashboard’ (see, for example) to monitor progress in a number of different areas.
On reviewing this, it became obvious that his dashboard was exclusively focused on certain measurables and totally lacked attending to other areas. In short, he very effectively tracked and measured classic key performance indicators such as revenue, profit, new sales calls etc, but included nothing that even came close to touching upon several of the other goals we were frequently discussing in our sessions (ie typically ‘people issues’ such as staff satisfaction and matters external to the business, including his health and wellbeing, the quality of his marriage and the extent to which his business was viewed by customers as being a fun organisation with which to engage).
So quite simply, we agreed to include in his ‘dashboard’ a range of other variables. My client didn’t want to forget about revenue and profit but he also didn’t want to focus on these to the exclusion of other, important issues… and that’s because one of his key motivators was building a business that was successful and profitable, but also recognised as a business that had a positive impact on the lives of its staff, its customers, its providers and its local community.
Now, there aren’t necessarily any right or wrong ways of doing this but what I was reminded of, in my discussions with this client, is that we all need to know not just what we’re doing but why we’re doing it. People who have a sense of purpose in their lives are healthier and happier, and they actually live longer! Employees who find meaning in what they do are more engaged and more committed to doing whatever they can for their employers, their colleagues and for their clients and customers.
Go back to your colleagues, to your teams and to your organisations, then, and answer the following questions:
And when you have answered these questions, then ask and answer one more:
Finally, when you’re done reflecting on these issues and answering these questions, find a way to measure what you want to do, because what doesn’t get measured won’t get done. Add in another dimension to your business scorecard or dashboard and then… let me know how you go.
Dr. Sharp’s latest book (out now) is ‘100 Ways to Happiness: a Guide for Busy People’ (Penguin). You can find out more about corporate programs, presentations and coaching services at www.drhappy.com.au and www.thehappinessinstitute.com. You can also ask him questions using the comments panel below.
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James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
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