Getting Unstuck — Exercises to help people find purpose in uncertain times
In uncertain times, it can be extra challenging to lead others. When the world seems upside down and nothing is “like it used to be”, many people express that they feel lost and end up in a loop where they question why they are working with what they do.
Getting stuck in this phase too long can lead to demotivation and anxiety. However, you as a leader can work with your team members to get through this phase.
According to a survey done by McKinsey last year, 89% want purpose in their life. People who find purpose in their work are reporting 2–5 better outcomes in work and life alike, than their unfulfilled peers.
By highlighting the purpose and why we do what we do, one can regain clarity and self-value. And with that comes the feeling of meaningfulness, motivation, and proactiveness.
In this article, you’ll find some practical and hands-on approaches to help you guide your team members and employees, to get out of this phase and get a visualized overview of one’s purpose.
The Model Behind It
At the core, finding one’s purpose requires active reflection. Through active reflection, we as leaders can enable our team members to go from feeling lost and being unclear to feeling that they value themselves and have clarity on why and what they are doing.
In the exercises below you will be able to help individuals to leave the lost phase and
- gain clarity of one’s purpose
- value what one does
- increase understanding of oneself
and through that help individuals to understand and to know themselves, why they do what they do.
I suggest you encourage the individual to reflect for about 20–30 minutes on each area beforehand. Then you’ll get together in a one-on-one where you discuss and narrow down what really matters and most of all help them to articulate their perspectives on the topics. In the end, you can document the highlights using the attached “Purpose worksheet”.
Exercises
Area 1: What — understanding what we value
No matter if you are a rational or emotional person, you will make decisions frequently. When things start to shake around us we get uncertain as to why certain decisions were taken in the first place, we easily start to doubt ourselves and diminish the value of what we are doing. By reminding ourselves why our work matters, we’ll build self-value and trust in our own decisions.
Exercise
Spend about 10 minutes on each question, writing down the answers on post-its, one question at a time. After going through both questions, go back and highlight the 1–3 things that stand out on each question.
Reflection Questions
- What do I really enjoy doing?
- What do I get excited by doing?
Area 2: Why — understanding the purpose
In moments when we feel lost and have forgotten or lost track of our purpose and we often forget why we are doing what we are doing. Rephrasing and reformulating WHY we are working with what we do can help us find meaning.
Exercise
Spend about 10 minutes on each question, and write down the answers on an A4 paper. After answering both questions go back and highlight 1 thing on each question that currently resonates the best with you.
Reflection Questions
- Why is my work important to me?
- In what way is my work good for me?
Area 3: Empathise- understand why it matters
Belonging and contributing to society are two of our fundamental drivers as humans. By understanding the connection between what we are doing and what is good for others, we can reinforce the feeling of purpose. In hard and confusing times, this feeling becomes extra powerful though it helps us to feel that we are contributing.
Exercise
Spend about 10 minutes on each question and write down the answers on an A4 paper. After answering both questions, go back and highlight one thing on each question that currently resonates the best with how you are feeling.
Reflection Question
- In what way is the work I do good for other people?
- In what way is the work I do important to others?
How to apply this
The purpose of encouraging people to write down their reflections is to help them articulate their perspectives and understand themselves. Visualizing increases the chances of remembering the things that matter. When the exercises have been done and you have had a one-on-one session, capture all the highlights in the “Purpose worksheet”. Either digitally or even better, print it so your employee can have it visualized at their desk (the pdf). It will help them to keep it on top of their minds.
Remember that these exercises require reflection skills, so if your employees are new to reflecting, you can use this as a starting point to help them grow the skill over time. Re-use these exercises yearly, to support people to bring clarity to one’s purpose and create a feeling of self-value. Or at moments when a person feels lost.
In this article I have exemplified how you and your employee can work with this, of course, this might as well be used in a mentor/mentee situation, coach context or you can use it for yourself.
Good luck and reach out to give feedback and thoughts on how it worked for you.
/Anna
Continuation
Want to know more about how to work evolve individuals and teams. Or how to organize to create more purpose. Reach out!
About Anna & Topp
Anna is an entrepreneur, board member, and organizational designer. She has been leading teams for the last 12 years. In addition to her role as CEO and Partner at Topp, she mentors designers and entrepreneurs, to help them reach their ambitions in life. Passionate about self-leadership and with a toolbox full of methods and processes to enable teams and individuals to thrive.
TOPP is a design and innovation studio that works with clients like Nike, Samsung, Google, AWS, Miele, Ford, Skatteverket, Ikea, GSK, and more. We collaborate with digital leaders and teams. As CEO and partner, I’m part of a world-class team of self-led design leaders.
