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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?  Three Hidden Costs of Purpose-Drifting TeamsTeams 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? Why Purpose Drift Happens More Than We AdmitNo 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?
We didn’t do more. We did less—on purpose. How to Reconnect Your Team with Purpose (Starting with One Question)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?” 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. Is It Time to Realign Your Team?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. 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.
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