The Impact of Team Purpose: How Leaders Can Ignite Meaning and Motivation

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

In today’s fast-paced, ever-shifting workplace, it’s all too easy for teams to lose sight of the deeper meaning behind their efforts.

Amidst endless tasks, changing priorities, and daily fire-drills, the “why” behind the “what” can get lost.

But as a leader, one of the most impactful things you can do is help your team reconnect with their sense of purpose - their north star for navigating even the most challenging times.

This involves embedding the organization's purpose into all aspects of the team’s work. Business leaders play a critical role in making this purpose believable and effective for all employees.

The Science of Meaningful Work

Research consistently shows that when employees feel their work matters and has meaning, good things happen.

A McKinsey survey found that the vast majority (70%) of employees say their sense of purpose is defined by their work, and when they feel that strong sense of purpose, they perform better, are more committed, and are about 50% less likely to leave.

But the costs of neglecting a clear sense of purpose are steep. Gallup estimates that low engagement, often driven by lack of meaning and connection to organizational purpose, costs the global economy $7.8 trillion.

In their 2023 State of the Global Workplace report, only 23% of employees reported feeling engaged.

Behavioral psychologists Adam Grant and Gabriella Rosen Kellerman zeroed in on why at BetterUp's 'The Collaborative'.

They’ve found that a strong sense of “mattering” - feeling that your work is of significance and serves a worthwhile purpose that can benefit society - is crucial for motivation, performance, and well-being.

In their groundbreaking book “Tomorrowmind,” Kellerman and renowned psychologist Martin Seligman shine a light on the transformative power of mattering in the modern workplace.

Through extensive research, they’ve identified a sense of purpose and significance as one of the three pivotal skills that separate those who merely survive from those who truly thrive amidst the relentless uncertainty and change of today’s professional landscape.

When employees feel their contributions count and their efforts advance a worthy cause, it unleashes a cascade of positive outcomes - from heightened job satisfaction and engagement to accelerated career advancement.

But in the frenetic pace and fragmented nature of contemporary work, that line of sight from individual effort to ultimate impact can be elusive.

We toil away at our tasks, often without directly witnessing the importance and value of our labor in real-time.

Over time, this disconnect can erode morale, breed cynicism, and even precipitate burnout.

As Kellerman poignantly observes, while knowing we’ve made a meaningful difference in someone’s life may not be earth-shattering, it is deeply fulfilling on a fundamental human level.

Therein lies the critical role of leaders as meaning-makers - to thoughtfully curate and communicate the narrative of mattering, connecting the dots between each employee’s discrete contributions and the organization’s broader purpose.

In illuminating this vital thread, leaders ignite the spark of significance that fuels not just productivity, but passion and purpose.

That’s where purposeful leadership comes in.

As a leader, you have the profound opportunity - and responsibility - to help your team find that sense of meaning.

To connect the dots between their daily grind and the bigger picture. To uplift not just performance, but passion and purpose.

More senior leaders play a crucial role in fostering this culture of purpose, ensuring every employee understands how their work aligns with the company's core objectives.

Graphic Credit: BetterUp. www.betterup.com

Igniting Team Purpose: The Compass Approach

So how can you as a leader draw out and articulate your team’s unique purpose?

The Compass Framework, a part of our UNIFIED program offers you that roadmap:

Clarify Key Stakeholders:

Engage your team in identifying the people, teams, and customers who rely on and benefit from your collective efforts. Putting names and faces to your work’s purpose makes it personal.

Outline Meaningful Challenges:

Zero in on the thorny issues and missed opportunities your team’s unique capabilities equip you to tackle. Reframe obstacles as chances to make a difference.

Spark Positive Emotions:

Consider the emotional impact you want your team’s attitude and contributions to have on others. Then relentlessly model and reinforce the behaviors that bring those aspirational feelings to life.

Connect to the Big Picture:

Draw bright lines from your team’s efforts to the organization’s broadest goals. Show how your work propels key priorities and strategic success.

Your Team's Purpose Statement - A Rally Cry that Compels Team Unity

Distill these elements into a clear, compelling purpose statement - your team’s north star and rallying cry.

For example: “We are the dedicated champions who help Marketing define and deliver bold strategies to grow the brand and delight customers.”

But crafting the right words is just the beginning.

The real magic happens when you bring that purpose to vivid life for your team through experiences, interactions and storytelling.

A clearly defined team purpose is essential in helping to align and motivate team members, influencing decision-making processes and team culture.

Keeping Your Team's Purpose Front and Centre.

Think about how you can create instances that tangibly illustrate your team’s purpose in action.

One impactful approach is to connect your team directly with the beneficiaries of their efforts.

Take a page from Adam Grant’s experiments at the University of Michigan.

He found that connecting fundraising callers with scholarship recipients for just 5 minutes boosted their motivation and results. Hearing firsthand how their work made a difference gave meaning to even the most tedious tasks.

How might you create similar opportunities for your team to see and feel their impact?

Maybe it’s inviting loyal customers to share their story at a team meetings, or forwarding a grateful email from a colleague who benefited from your team’s expertise.

The key is to make purpose personal and palpable.

Kellerman also suggests in Tomorrowmind creating a “mattering map” - a visual that shows the ripple effects of each employee’s work on teams, customers and the organization’s mission.

This reminds people that their efforts make a real difference, even if they don’t witness the ultimate outcomes firsthand.

Another way to keep purpose front and center is through the questions you ask and stories you tell as a leader.

In one-on-ones

Invite reflection on the deeper significance of each person’s projects.

• What important problems are they solving?

• What capabilities are they building?

• How are they helping others succeed?

In team forums

Highlight wins not just as goal attainment but as meaningful mission advancement.

• Celebrate the positive differences made, the trust earned, the relationships strengthened.

• Recognize team members whose attitude and actions embody your purpose, making them examples for others to emulate.

• And critically, when challenges and setbacks arise, frame them in the context of your worthy purpose.

Help the team see obstacles as opportunities to live your values and make an even bigger impact.

Focus on the deeper “why” to fuel determination and resilience.

In every interaction, model the purpose-driven mindset and behaviors you wish to see in your team.

Your authentic embodiment of the “why” behind the “what” is the most powerful way to make it real for others.

Living Purpose Every Day for Positive Impact

Beyond specific practices, instilling purpose is ultimately about weaving corporate purpose into the fabric of your team’s day-to-day experience.

It’s an ongoing commitment to put purpose at the heart of how you communicate, make decisions, tackle challenges, recognize achievements, and develop people.

Meaningful work is crucial in fostering a sense of purpose and fulfillment among employees, creating a deeper connection to the organization's mission.

Some other ways to keep purpose alive in the daily whirl:

• Hire and promote for purpose alignment, not just technical skills

• Set goals and strategies that advance your “why,” not just your “what”

• Make team decisions that honor your purpose and values

• Offer learning that hones both functional capabilities and purpose-driven character

• Regularly reflect on and reconnect with your team’s meaning and mission

The more you keep purpose central and visible amid competing priorities, the more it becomes your team’s guiding light - the consistent beacon that illuminates the most important and impactful actions to take.

A Legacy of Team Purpose

When you ignite your team’s sense of meaning, you don’t just boost morale and motivation in the moment.

You shape a lasting legacy - of passion and performance, yes, but also of positive impact that endures.

A legacy of employees who carry a sense of purpose with them wherever they go, uplifting others and organizations along the way.

A legacy of human-centered leadership that creates thriving teams and businesses - by putting people and purpose first. A legacy that ripples out to make work more meaningful and the world a bit better.

Businesses exist not only to generate profit but also to make a positive impact on society.

A strong organizational purpose should transcend mere making money, driving a deeper motivation for employees and enhancing overall performance and societal contribution.

Ultimately, that may be the true power of purpose - not just as a performance-enhancer, but as a lasting force for good in a world deeply longing for it.

And in choosing to wield that transformative force, you step into your own highest purpose as a leader.

So go forth and ignite meaning every day - for your team, your yourself, and the lives you touch.

It may well be the most purposeful leadership act of all.