This week, I was invited to speak at a primary school in Penang. Not to the students but to the teachers. The principal of the school wanted me to inspire and engage the teachers before the new term started. Her aim was to have a cogent and committed team of educators who are willing to work together and go the extra mile for their students.
It was such an honour for me to be invited. I was especially thrilled because this was the very school that my mother was a teacher at, some 40 years ago.
Instead of just speaking in platitudes and trying to "motivate" the teachers, I decided that my time would be best spent if collectively we reviewed the idea of their purpose-drive in choosing teaching as a career.
The session I conducted was introspective and we examined the mindset that is required for anyone to be effective as a teacher, especially for young children.
Just like with any other profession, I have come to understand through my experience that people need to find purpose in the work that they engage in. Purpose leads to feelings of commitment, passion and excitement about our duties and responsibilities.
And, most importantly, when you can find and align your personal purpose with your professional purpose, obviously you become so much more fulfilled in your career.
We spend most of our lives working. Many of us spend eight hours a day, five days a week dedicating our time to our job. We spend more time on the job than we do with our families or doing things we love. So, it is natural that we aspire for meaningful and satisfying work.
Prevalent research shows that having a sense of purpose at work benefits both the employee and the company. When a member of your team places high value on doing meaningful work, they are more likely to be promoted and take up leadership positions.
Here are some benefits that individuals with a strong purpose-drive will have.
Your organisational leaders will notice increased levels of engagement in you. If employees have a strong sense of purpose at work, it will intensify their personal engagement and motivation. I have realised that when you believe that your work adds value to others, you tend do it with more interest and enthusiasm. Ask any boss. This is one of the most coveted traits in an employee. Everyone needs to have employees who can perform their duties with enthusiasm.
Work-stress is a major issue in any modern day office. Anyone who meanders along at their workplace without purpose is a prime candidate for stress, both to themselves and to their co-workers. Once your figure out your professional purpose, you learn to manage stress better. Even if your work comes with hard challenges, finding meaning in those tasks, because you are purpose-driven, will improve your feelings of stress.
Working with purpose greatly enhances work place relationships. When you work in a team of like-minded people with common goals and a shared vision, your work environment becomes exponentially better. Everyone around you will work in tandem with you, because you are all driven by a similar resolve.
And the power of having quality workplace relationships is phenomenal. Your work and the people around you will keep you motivated and engaged all day long.
If you ask yourself about what your definition of being successful is, you will most likely include the concept of "satisfaction". We all want to be satisfied and that brings us joy. Being purposeful at the workplace will lead to greater fulfillment in your job. There is no doubt about this.
And consequently, your persistence and resilience also increase.
If you believe in the work that you do, it rapidly improves your ability to adjust to difficulties. Because of your purpose driven nature, you will be willing to persist and plough through the obstacles that are bound to appear. When someone is lackadaisical with their work, it is quite simply because they have no real purpose.
Finally, one of the most crucial habits you need for growth in your career is the desire for upskilling. This just means that you are motivated enough to continuously acquire new skills, and be open to new ideas. People with a narrowminded or parochial outlook never place value on new skills. Only people with a strong purpose drive are apt at gaining new skillsets. If you enjoy the work you do, you obviously become more interested in accumulating new knowledge.
So, I had to remind the teachers earlier this week that to inspire and engage their students, they must first be purpose-driven in their own career.
Are you?