The Importance of Having a Team Purpose (podcast)
Welcome to the next installment of the Leadership Vision Podcast, where we share our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder.
In this episode, Aleasha Morris and I continue our series on the Team Engagement Model and today we’re talking about why your team needs a purpose for the long-term success of your organization. Our study and intensive observation of teams through a Strengths Based lens have revealed that there is an unmistakable difference between healthy and unhealthy teams.
Simply put, unhealthy teams are out of balance.
Too often we meet managers and team leaders that loathe committing to a conversation around Purpose because it feels too big. Too lofty. Too out there. At some point, they usually sigh and express how busy they are and how stressed everyone on the team feels because of all the things they have to do. They surmise there just isn’t enough time to talk about ‘stuff’ like that.
And so, we genuinely ask them what one thing matters most in the work they do. After that initial pushback, and some genuine thought, they loosen up, their gaze fixes and their body leans in… because they always have an answer. And most often, it sounds like Purpose.
RELATED: How To Know If Your Team Is Surviving Or Thriving (podcast)
What is Purpose?
As a core concept of our Professional Team Engagement Model, Purpose is about creating a collective definition of our existence as a team. When teams create clarity and alignment around their ‘why,’ they are then able to create parameters for working and being together. This process can also help to highlight a disparity between an individual’s purpose and that of their team.
In this Episode, you will Learn…
What purpose means, questions that can help you identify the level of purpose on your team, what happens when your purpose is missing, and finally, examples of what this looks like in action.
We also share some questions for helping you understand the purpose of your team. With strengths in mind, think of your team and ask yourself these questions:
- Why is this a team?
- What do we do together?
- How do we act when we are together?
- Are we headed in the same direction and do we share the same goals?
- Do any gaps exist between personal and collective purpose?
We’ve identified four areas that tend to be the most concerning and detrimental to a team if their purpose isn’t aligned:
- Shifting commitment
- Adverse to change
- Weak communication
- Limited traction
Listen to the episode to learn how to focus your team on a core purpose!
About The Leadership Vision Podcast
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder. Leadership Vision uses StrengthsFinder to work with People, Teams, and Culture. We believe that knowing your Top 5 Strengths is only the beginning. In fact, our highest potential exists in the ongoing exploration of our talents. Subscribe to the Leadership Vision Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Please contact us if you have ANY questions about anything you heard in this episode, or if you’d like to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.
