Why Purpose, Courage, and Connection?
There are hundreds of definitions of leadership, and I like this one because it offers a framework to focus on the mindsets, habits, and skills that make for powerful leadership. Purpose, courage, and connection each provide a way of assessing our strengths as leaders and opportunities for evolving those strengths.
Purpose
Purpose is our why. It is a map of our values, vision, and goals. It is the marrow of what fulfills us in life and brings richness and meaning to what we do and how we live. As a habit, purpose is about taking the time to ask ourselves what matters most and get clear in how we prioritize our answers to that question.
Core Elements of Purpose: values, vision, goals, leadership voice, commitments.
Questions of Purpose
What matters most to me? What is important about that?
What are my core values, vision, and goals?
How well have I integrated those into who I am as a leader and how I show with others?
What am I committed to? How can I strengthen that commitment?
Courage
Courage is our willingness to do work of our purpose. It is our ability to respond to and take ownership of the challenges we face, to address those challenges head-on and not shy away from them because they are difficult.
As a habit, courage is about asking ourselves what are the challenges we face that matter most and where is change needed. Brené Brown describes these moments as calls to courage, and we know we are hearing one of these calls when we feel anxious or fearful of what it may take to answer that call. To answer these calls, we must be brave. We must acknowledge that the call stirs fear in us and may leave us paralyzed to act. And then, we must act. Our calls to courage reflect our most important opportunities to bring our purpose to life, to share our gifts and talents and enact changes that really matter.
Core Elements of Courage: vulnerability, fear, uncertainty, shame resilience, and composure.
Questions of Courage:
Where is courage needed from you as a leader?
Why is courage important there?
What is uncomfortable or challenging about being courageous there?
What small step can you take today to start to face that challenge?
Connection
Connection is our ability to see ourselves in others, to have empathy for ourselves and others, and look for ways to improve our relationships. The mindset, habits, and skills of connection recognize the ways in which we are connected to others and the world around us, and emphasize how important the connections that we have with others are to the impact of our leadership.
Core Elements of Connection: emotional intelligence, boundary setting, empathy, expectations, inclusion, and systems thinking.
Questions of Connection:
Where are you developing stronger and more positive connections with others?
How well are you recognizing the experiences of others? Where do you struggle?
How well are you addressing and resolving conflict with others?
How are you making space for everyone to succeed?
The mindsets, habits, and skills of purpose, courage, and connection take time to cultivate. Some of us have already spent long years developing our leadership in one or more of these areas, but I rarely meet a leader who has spent the time needed to develop their leadership in all three areas. In my work with clients, I find it helpful to start with a baseline assessment of their leadership strengths in each category, so we can create a road map for their development to unlock their deeper potential as a leader and a person.