While working my day job in Higher Ed, I took on a new position and inherited a team that had been cut in half. That's the reality for a lot of leaders. They are put in positions to handle more with less.

When this happened to me, I had to look for ways to prioritize. Was it more important to keep doing everything we had before the cuts or did we have to look for ways to focus on our more high quality services?

I chose to cut down on our services and emphasize high quality in our coaching and purpose discovery services. This was pivotal for me. Since that time, we have improved our results and increased demand for all of our offerings. All of this came from applying purpose. Without the intentional focus in this space, I would have burned out, lost focus, and had far less impact.

When we are not leading from the four pillars of purpose-first leadership, it can cost your team on multiple levels.

What are the costs of not applying purpose to your work?

Teams that lose their “why” rarely crash overnight. The change takes more time but the effects can be devastating. Here are just three.

1. Disengagement
When work feels disconnected from a meaningful goal, team motivation fades. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024, only 33% of U.S. employees feel engaged at work. The strongest predictor of engagement is having a clear connection to mission and purpose.

What impact is a lack of engagement having on your team and service?

2. Miscommunication
Without a unifying purpose, priorities shift and confusion grows. Research from McKinsey’s State of Organizations 2023 identifies lack of clarity and poor communication as among the top reasons teams underperform. Purpose alignment acts as a decision filter that reduces internal friction and misalignment. It not only speeds up the decision-making process, but it helps you make better decisions. 

How might communication issues be decreasing your effectiveness?

3. Low Innovation
According to Harvard Business Review, companies driven by purpose demonstrate higher innovation and long-term performance. Teams without a guiding North Star tend to fall into mechanical, risk-averse behaviors that stifle creativity. When there is no place you are trying to get, there is less drive to go anywhere at all.

Where is your team stagnating for lack of purpose?

No one intends to lead without purpose. But in times of turnover, stress, or downsizing, urgent needs often crowd out important ones. Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends reports that companies with a clear purpose are 66% more likely to retain employees and 30% more likely to innovate effectively. Purpose fuels resilience and growth.

When I paused to reflect on my situation from earlier, I asked myself an important question for my team:

What do we actually value - and what do we want to be known for?

The answer was clear: quality over quantity.

We anchored ourselves in our core values and made the call. We reduced our offerings and focused only on the services where we could deliver deep, lasting impact. That meant saying no to some good things so we could say yes to the best things.

The result?

• Student satisfaction scores for our coaching program has reached 100 %
• Demand for our services grew - we even have had to set up waitlists (to keep aligning ourselves with our value of quality)
• Our team felt energized and we have been able to consistently innovate.

​We didn’t do more.
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We did less—on purpose.

If your team feels overwhelmed, scattered, or unsure where it’s going, start here:

“If we could only do 50% of what we’re doing now, what would we keep doing?”
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This question reveals your team’s top priorities. It surfaces your shared values. It re-centers the conversation around what truly matters - not just the next thing.

If you're seeing the signs - low energy, scattered priorities, slow progress - your team might be suffering from a lack of purpose.

The good news? You can reset. You can refocus. You can lead with purpose again.

Let’s talk about how.
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Send me a quick email to set up a free, no-pressure coaching call to explore how to realign your team around what matters most.

Early on in my career, I worked on a student development team that was misaligned. It was obvious that coworkers did not agree and that priorities were set based on strategy and systems. The issue was that only a few people were actually aware of (let alone bought into) the priorities of the team. 

When I was leading part of this team, I started to recognize that each team member had their own agendas for their work and their own ideas of success. Some were just in it as a stepping stone. Others wanted to help students solve mental health challenges. Others want to just be a friend to whatever student they engaged with. 

All of these purposes are just fine in their own right (some better than others). The issue was that our leadership never set the priorities. I'm not talking about the day to day priorities and task lists. We had plenty of those. We didn't know what actually mattered about our day to day work. 

It's clear to me now that it wasn't for lack of strategy or systems that our work was difficult and misaligned. It was because we had never taken the time to sort out the purpose behind our work, the collective direction on what mattered most and set the tone for each decision and action.

You can have the best-laid plans and still feel the drag of disconnection. I’ve seen teams with beautifully crafted mission statements and five-year visions burn out and feel lost. But the problem wasn’t clarity - it was meaning.

​According to a 2023 McKinsey study, 70% of employees say their sense of purpose is defined by their work. But only 18% say they actually get that sense of purpose on the job. That gap isn’t just a missed opportunity — it’s a culture risk.

Strategy and systems tells people what to do. Purpose tells them why it matters. Without that deeper anchor, even high-performing teams can feel like they’re sprinting without direction. Purpose is what helps teams not just execute, but care.

Purpose-First Leadership is practical. It's a way of leading and thinking that puts unified purpose front and center.

Purpose-First Leadership means designing and leading with meaning in mind: aligning decisions, structures, and conversations around what truly matters. It's not about “adding purpose” to your culture like a mask or marketing ploy. It's about revealing and living it authentic purpose that brings your team together.

Here’s the core shift: instead of asking “What’s the goal?”, Purpose-First Leaders ask, “What’s the impact? What are we really here to do together?”

And that shift shows up in:

• How leaders communicate in meetings
• What behaviors are rewarded (or ignored)
• How decisions get made when things are uncertain
• Whether people feel safe to show up as themselves (Psychological Safety)

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It’s not a "nice-to-have." It’s the foundation.

​Here’s the framework that works for individuals and teams:

1. Values: The Non-Negotiables
Values define what’s most important in how we work. When leaders consistently model and communicate values - not just in slogans, but in decisions - trust grows.

Try this: In your next 1:1 or team meeting, ask: “What value guided your decisions this week?” It’ll tell you a lot more than performance metrics alone.

2. Strengths: What Comes Naturally
When people use their natural strengths, work feels energizing. Gallup research shows that people who use their strengths daily are 6x more likely to be engaged.

Tool tip: Use CliftonStrengths to start mapping your team’s core talents.

3. Passions: What Sparks Energy
You can have two people in the same role, but what fuels and inspires them may be totally different. When leaders invite passion into the conversation, they unlock innovation. They create opportunities for passion to flourish in diverse settings.

Prompt to try: Ask your team: “What part of your work do you wish you had more time to focus on?” That’s a clue to passion.

4. Calls to Action: Purpose in Motion
This is the vortex, the drawing force that creates a sense of “I can’t not do this.” It’s where purpose becomes action. It’s often connected to a pain point someone wants to solve or a future they believe in. But no matter, what it should move you to action.

Reflection prompt: “What issue or opportunity in our work do you feel especially drawn to lead or improve?”
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When teams align across these four, the workplace transforms - not from the top down, but from the inside out.

When purpose leads, culture follows. And it sticks.

I’ve seen teams redefine performance conversations around values, not just numbers - and watch morale soar. I've seen teams flourish because they were able to address the four pillars and create a culture that made the most of each day in places that mattered to each person. 

This isn't just anecdotal. When purpose drives the process, teams become:

• More creative
• More resilient
• More accountable
• And significantly more engaged

But there are still a lot of people who see purpose as just another hurdle they have to overcome. The result is typically a "strategy session" where vision is discussed but the true purpose is never defined. Not every organization is ready for the shift. Here are some common hurdles I see and how you can adjust:

• “We’re too busy to talk about purpose.” Try integrating micro-reflections — just 2 minutes at the top of a meeting can shift energy.
• “What if my team doesn’t buy in?” Start with your own story. Purpose is contagious when it's modeled.
• “I’m not sure of my own purpose yet.” That’s okay — get curious. Reflect on what energizes you and where you feel most aligned.

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You don’t need to have it all figured out to start leading with more intention.

1. Start one meeting with a values check-in: Ask, “What value are you bringing into this week?”
2. End your 1:1s with a purpose check-in: “What part of your work is most meaningful right now?”
3. Create a team wall of strengths: Visual or virtual. Let people name and claim what they’re good at.
4. Reframe one task around impact: Ask, “How does this project serve our mission?”
5. Reflect weekly: “Where did I feel most alive in my work this week?”

​These aren’t huge overhauls. But practiced regularly, they reshape your culture from the inside out.

If this post sparked something for you, I’d love to help you explore it further.
I offer a free, no-pressure 15-minute coaching call to help you:

• Clarify your leadership purpose
• Identify culture gaps
• ​Design one micro-shift to try with your team this week

Send me a quick email to set up a time to talk — it’s real conversation, not a pitch.

1. Can I lead with purpose in a metrics-driven organization?
Yes - purpose and performance aren’t opposites. Purpose gives metrics meaning.
2. What if I don’t feel clear on my own purpose?
That’s normal. Start with values and strengths -  they’ll point you in the right direction. Or let's talk and discover it together.
3. Will my team resist this approach?
Maybe. But start with curiosity, not pressure. Invite, don’t impose.
4. How do I make time for this?
Use what’s already there - 5 minutes at the top of a meeting can shift tone and energy.
5. What’s one book or resource I should read?
Try Start with Why by Simon Sinek or Make Your Job a Calling by Bryan Dik and Ryan Duffy.
6. What if leadership above me doesn’t value purpose?
Lead where you are. Influence is built through consistency, not position.
7. How do I measure the impact of purpose-first leadership?
Look for signs: engagement, retention, initiative. Qualitative feedback is often your first signal.

In many teams (especially small businesses and teams) values are an afterthought. They’re listed in the handbook or maybe even written on a wall. This is huge mistake. 

Most teams skip the actual values conversation. They might not do it on purpose, but it happens. Leaders often get lost in the busyness of their work or the tasks at hand. Teams assume the values have been decided or that everything is going fine. 

And that’s a costly mistake.

Values aren’t like the old "set it and forget it" machines of the past. Your teams are vibrant, purpose-driven collections of individuals. To get everyone moving in the same direction, maximizing your time and efforts, leaders need to engage in values discovery and alignment.

When teams take the time to define what they believe (not just as individuals, but as a collective) they unlock three powerful outcomes:

• Clarity: Decisions become easier and more consistent when everyone knows what matters most.
• Trust: People feel safe, understood, and aligned when they share common ground.
• Purpose: Work feels more meaningful because it’s guided by shared beliefs, not vague expectations.

These aren't just feel-good benefits. The research is clear:

• A 2023 Gallup study found that teams aligned around core values are 4.5x more likely to report high employee engagement and 3.7x more likely to exceed performance goals.
• Deloitte reports that 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is key to business success—and culture is shaped directly by shared values.

Too often, values are treated as a luxury or a list of words to make things sound nice. It's great to show off your values to customers and they can be great tools in the marketing process. 

But real values don’t live in presentations or marketing materials.

Values show up in the messy middle of work.
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Values shape how your team:

• Makes hard decisions
• Navigates conflict
• Supports clients
• Builds trust
• Measures success

If your team can’t point to how your values show up in everyday actions, you haven’t really defined them.

In my Team Values Workshop, we go deeper than generic mission statements. We uncover the beliefs that actually shape your team’s work by asking four key questions:

1. What are your personal values?
   Every team member gets an equal say and the team gets to come together around what really matters most. When these values get named, you build respect and alignment.
2. What values sit beneath your team’s goals?
   Why do your team goals matter? Not just to the business, but to the team members living them out every day.
3. What values shape how you work together?
   Think communication, decision-making, and feedback. What’s truly important to your team and its culture?
4. What do your clients value about you?
   Your external reputation is a mirror. It often reveals the unspoken values your team already lives out.

When we see all of these values on the same page or board, your real values begin to surface. These are not just the buzzwords, but the shared beliefs already guiding your work.
It's not about crafting perfect phrases. Instead, it's about identifying and aligning with what actually matters most to your team.

If you’re ready to lead your team into a deeper values conversation, here are four ways to begin:

• Block meaningful time. Don’t try to fit this into a quick meeting. Values discovery takes reflection, and reflection takes time.
  
• Listen for hidden patterns. Pay attention to how people describe your team’s biggest wins and toughest challenges. That’s where your real values often hide.
• Keep the language grounded. Don’t aim for perfection. Terms like “integrity” or “innovation” only matter if your team can define what they mean in your actual work.
• Consider working with a coach. An outside guide can ask deeper questions, surface hidden insights, and help your team create shared meaning faster and more effectively. If you're interested, let's talk.

If you’re leading a team, the values conversation isn’t optional. This is especially true for small businesses who need everyone together and moving in the same direction. Discovering and aligning with values isn't just nice to have, it's the foundation for success.

Are you ready to uncover your team’s real values and build a culture that actually means something?

Let’s talk.

Send me a quick email to start the conversation. 

References:
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-core-beliefs-and-culture.pdf

If you lead a team or run a small business, chances are you spend a lot of time thinking about how to get the best out of your people. You focus on strategy, operations, performance goals, and profitability. All of that is good and necessary. But there’s one driver of team success that often gets overlooked in the day-to-day grind: purpose.
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I'm not talking about the kind of purpose that sits framed on the wall or buried in a business plan. I’m talking about a purpose that’s actively shaping the way your team works together, makes decisions, and shows up when things get tough. I'm talking about purpose in action.
The truth is: a shared, clearly articulated purpose is one of the most powerful tools for improving team performance—and it’s especially critical in small business environments where every person and every decision matters.

This isn’t just philosophy. It’s backed by data:

• Gallup found that employees who strongly agree with the statement “The mission or purpose of my organization makes me feel my job is important” are 4.6 times more likely to be engaged at work. 
  
• A Deloitte study showed that purpose-driven companies had 40% higher levels of employee retention and 30% higher innovation rates than their peers.
  
• McKinsey reports that 70% of employees say their sense of purpose is defined by their work—and organizations that help people connect their role to a larger purpose see measurable gains in motivation, loyalty, and performance.
  

Purpose isn't a luxury, it’s a key driver to success and growth. Purpose will impact your team engagement, retention, innovation, and performance. 

If you're running a small business or managing a team, the impact of each person’s engagement is magnified. You can’t afford disengagement or misalignment. For most small business, these can be fatal. That’s where purpose comes in.
Purpose gives people a reason to care. It offers clarity during uncertainty and helps your team make better decisions. And it helps your team align around something bigger than task lists and deadlines.
When your team understands why their work matters:

• Collaboration improves because there’s a shared sense of direction.
  
• Decision-making becomes faster and more values-driven.
  
• People bring more energy, creativity, and ownership to what they do.
  

This might sound daunting but it doesn’t require a massive rebrand or overhaul. It starts with being intentional. Your role as a leader here is crucial. Your team won't discover or purpose a common purpose without your intentionality. 

So let's get intentional and practical. Here are three ways you can start activating purpose inside your business:
1. Make the Connection Between Purpose and Daily WorkDon’t assume your team knows why their work matters—help them see it. Regularly link tasks, projects, and goals back to your company’s broader mission. Use simple language, and do it often.
Here's an example: Instead of saying, “We need this client project done by Friday,” say, “This project helps us deliver on our promise to make marketing more human for small businesses.”
2. Hire and Recognize with Purpose in MindWhen bringing people onto your team, hire for alignment with your purpose—not just technical skill. Once they’re in, recognize not just what people do, but how it reflects the values and mission that drive your business forward. Poor hiring can kill your team's shared meaning. Purpose-driven hiring can accelerate your growth. 
3. Lead from Your Own PurposeYour team will take cues from you. This comes back to your intentionality. When you’re clear about why you started your business or what impact you want to have, others will naturally follow that clarity. You don’t have to be eloquent, just honest.

Especially in small businesses, culture is shaped in real-time. Every conversation, every priority, every decision builds that culture. When purpose is part of the foundation, everything else—performance, trust, resilience—has room to grow. It helps everyone walk down the same road and in the same direction, even if you are in different lanes. 
So the next time you find yourself chasing a performance target, consider this: maybe what your team needs isn’t more pressure—it’s more purpose.

If you’re a small business leader who wants to clarify your purpose, align your team, and lead with greater confidence, let’s talk. I work with leaders to bring purpose, strengths, and values together in a way that’s practical and people-focused.
Let’s explore what that could look like for your business. Shoot me a quick email to start the conversation. 

Let’s be honest: even if you like your job, there are probably parts of it that don’t feel especially fulfilling. You might wonder if you’re in the wrong role, on the wrong path, or missing some deeper purpose.
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But here's something worth considering: your job isn’t your purpose—but it can support your purpose.
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And you don’t need to quit or completely reinvent your career to make that happen.

According to Gallup’s 2023 report, only 33% of U.S. employees say they’re engaged at work. That’s one out of every three people who feel energized, focused, and connected to what they’re doing. For everyone else, work can often feel like a grind.

And it’s not just employees—small business owners and leaders experience this too. Even when you're the one calling the shots, it’s easy to drift from why you started in the first place.
​
That’s where job crafting comes in.

Job crafting is a concept from organizational psychology that encourages people to take ownership of how their work aligns with their values, strengths, and motivations. The idea is simple: instead of waiting for the perfect job, you shape the one you have into something more meaningful.

It's about moving from, “I do what I have to,” to “I make my job reflect what matters most to me.”

I have used this in my own work and seen massive improvements in my engagement and fulfillment. I've worked with leaders to develop this in their work and teams. So how do you do it?

​There are three main ways to craft your job: by changing what you do, how you relate to others, and how you think about your role.

1. Task Crafting – Adjust what you do day-to-day
This is about rethinking your responsibilities—shifting your focus toward tasks that better align with your strengths and interests, when possible.

Examples:

• Taking on projects that let you be more creative or strategic
• Delegating tasks that consistently drain your energy
• Finding ways to spend more time on what you enjoy—even if just 10% more

As a leader, you can encourage your team to reflect on this too. Ask:
“What’s one part of your job you wish you could do more of?”
“What drains your energy that we could shift?”

2. Relational Crafting – Rethink who you connect with and why
This focuses on the people side of work—intentionally spending more time with those who energize you or inspire you, and less time on unhelpful or draining interactions.

Examples:

• Choosing to mentor a newer colleague
• ​Creating more intentional connections with customers or collaborators
• Building relationships across departments to gain new perspective

In a small business, relationships often drive culture—so even small shifts here can make a big difference.

3. Cognitive Crafting – Reframe how you think about your work
​This is about shifting your mindset. Sometimes the work itself doesn’t change, but the way you interpret its value can.

Instead of seeing yourself as “just” doing admin or customer support, what if you saw yourself as someone who creates calm in chaos, or someone who makes clients feel cared for and respected?

Viktor Frankl put it this way: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

This isn’t about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about noticing the impact you’re already making—and giving it the credit it deserves.

Whether you lead a team or you’re a team of one, crafting your role creates space for purpose to show up in your work.
When people shape their jobs:

• They feel more engaged
• They perform better
• They’re more likely to stay

Research backs this up. Studies in the Journal of Vocational Behavior show that job crafting is tied to lower burnout, higher satisfaction, and more resilient teams.

Here are a few simple prompts to get going:

1. What parts of your job energize you? How can you do more of those?
   
2. What parts drain you? Can you shift or share them?
   
3. Who in your workplace brings out the best in you? How can you connect more often?
   
4. What’s one way to reframe your work so it better reflects your values?
   

And if you lead a team: create space for these questions in one-on-ones or team check-ins. Ask people what matters to them. You’ll not only learn more about your team—you’ll help them show up more fully.

You don’t need a new job title, a different company, or the “perfect” opportunity to do meaningful work.

Start where you are.

Craft what you can.
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And let your purpose shape the way you lead, serve, and show up—starting today.

If any of this feels hard or confusing, I can help. I have helped leaders across the country develop their (and their team's) sense of purpose and align their daily work with what really matters. If you are looking for a way to lead your team toward work that matters, shoot me a quick email and let's connect.

References:

• Gallup: State of the Global Workplace 2023
  
• Wrzesniewski & Dutton (2001), Academy of Management Review
  
• Amy Wrzesniewski’s TEDx Talk: The Meaning of Work