Purpose and Resignations

Life on Mission | Life on Purpose
 
What is fueling the “great resignation”?
 
Yes – people want a healthier culture to work in.
Yes – people want more flexibility with their schedules
Yes – people want to make sure ​the money is there.
 
It is those things. However, I believe it’s also something much deeper. I believe that, for so long, our identities have been caught up in what we do and where we do it. Think back to every networking event and gala, “I’m [insert name], I’m the [insert fancy title], at [insert org name]."  We went to work, went home, ate dinner, went to work one email, rinse repeat.

Yes, there’s a little sarcasm dripping in there, but if we are honest with ourselves not too much.
 
We can justify anything. We can justify working long hours to get ahead and to be successful. Then we wonder why the fabric of our society has been pulling apart, as work family has replaced actual family.
 
Then COVID came and interrupted everything. Everyone realized that there’s another way to live and many are pursuing it.
 
I think what they are actually pursuing is identity. They are pursuing purpose. They are pursuing a clear and compelling vision.
 
There’s an interesting verse in the book of Proverbs from the Bible. It says, “Where there is no vision the people perish” The Hebrew word “perish” used means, there is no restraint, no direction, no parameters. Meaning people "perish" because they have no clear direction and no boundaries set to get there.
 
Vision provides destination; mission provides guardrails; values provide fuel; and strategy provides a roadmap.
 
I believe the great resignation is happening because people have been living their lives, following a roadmap with no compelling destination. Suddenly, retirement at 65 isn’t exciting enough. They want to live with purpose today.
 
So, what do we do with this realization?

• As Leaders/People/Humans: Find your purpose. Find your vision. Find what pumps you up, what brings fulfillment, and what you're passionate about. Then find ways to integrate that at work and home. Clarify your values and be proud of your journey and destination.

• As Organizational Leaders: Help your leaders and employees see how they can leverage their strengths, so they are energized at work. Help leaders see how their personal vision can align with the organizational vision. If your organizational vision lacks clarity and your employees lack purpose, give us a call.

 
Our hope at Insight Leadership Group is that you are a healthy, transformational leader who loves life at work and loves life at home. We want you to be extremely successful at work and dominate the market! We want you to be equally successful at home - leaving a legacy worth remembering.
 
We don’t want to ask questions and make statements without offering a viable solution. Download the Insight Action Guide right here. This unique tool is used with every executive coaching client to help them clarify their purpose. Inevitably when the leaders find their identify and rest – everything else seems to work out.
 
If you are a senior level leader looking for more. Check out our Courage and Conviction Leadership Series. We provide small group executive leadership experiences to help leaders rest and take the next step.
 
Free Download: Insight Action Guide
Management: 201° Performance Management Coaching
Management/Leadership Development: Courageous Leaders Cohort
Executive/Leadership Development: Arkansas Business Executive Leadership Academy
Executive/Senior Leader Development: Courage and Conviction Leadership Experiences

Depression

I'm tired today ... 
I think I'll sleep just a little longer today ... 
Let's just stay home today ... 
Let's push that date back ... 

As I type and retype this note to you I question myself. It is okay to be this vulnerable? I'm a husband of almost 20 years, father of 4, split wood to use the smoker wearing flannel, and still chase a ball around the pitch in umbros. (meaning I feel tough) Life is good. But, for some reason I had found myself tired, sleeping more, lacking motivation, and a little down. I've coached and counseled plenty of leaders going struggling with some sort of depression, but I had a hard time owning it myself. This past two years we have navigated plenty of transitions like you have and I think it all caught up with me.  Simultaneously Insight has had an incredible year that shattered our previous record and 2022 is looking good. Last summer my wife called me out. She said you are in Stage 2 green. She caught me. I was analyzing everything and cutting myself out of community. Not intentionally - I was just trying to make everything work. However, my approach to make everything work was making everything difficult.

So, I had to find the eddy. I had to reset vision, my personal "why" and rest. Not the sleeping kind of rest, but finding green space to think, read, pray, exercise, and not be in the constant rush. I'm happy to dive into the weeds on this if the conversation will benefit you. Here's are a few tips that helped me reset and turn the corner.

Personal Life
1) Pray the Lords Prayer every morning
2) Meditate on Psalm 23
3) Exercising with my boys (reminder that they follow our example)
4) Clarify my personal mission
5) Consistent time to hang out with good friends (healthy community) 
6) Spend time outside smoking meat for family and friend dinners

Professional Life
1) Hire and rely on a great team (train, delegate and empower) 
2) Manage my calendar. Meaning - limit back to back zoom meetings and end the day at 4:30 if possible to leave time to prep for the next day.
3) Leave the laptop in the office 
4) Focus on helping leaders love life at work and love life at home in a very intentional way
5) Pursue goals and celebrate the wins
6) Build authentic relationships with clients

We are launching a new program to help leaders find the eddy. To help leaders rest while clarifying vision. It’s called Distilled. Check it out here.

Hitchhiking

Kyle and I were at the top of the mountain during spring break. We were feeling good about our ski level and wanted to take the fastest route to other side of the mountain. As we peered through the forest we thought we saw the ski run of our dreams. The only thing keeping us from our dreams was an orange boundary line. We figured the boundary was only there for people who weren't as good as us. At first, we were having fun ... then we were hiking/skiing/holding on the tops of trees to not sink ... It was too late to go back up. The ski run we thought we saw didn't exist. We finally found the courage and clearing to ski through the backcountry and the faint sound of cars started to fill the air. We ended up on the highway 5 miles from Winter Park hitchhiking to get back.

Have you ever crossed a boundary in order to get somewhere faster?

I found that every boundary I cross I found myself farther from my purpose not closer.

I think boundaries help us get down the mountain they don't keep us from enjoying it. Boundaries help us accomplish our purpose they don't keep us from it. When we cross the boundary line to get there faster we get farther from our purpose.

We've found that if we don't have boundaries we never accomplish our purpose. There is always something that can distract us. All of a sudden life is as confusing as asking a family of 6 where they want to eat.

Purpose has led us to launch our new executive development program. We are passionate about helping leaders love life at work and love life at home. We are on mission to help you cultivate engaging and healthy cultures that have positive ripple effects into the lives of families, organizations and the community. That purpose helped us realize we didn't want to be in the executive roundtable game. Sitting around the conference table wasn't transformational enough. How we can get real, get some rest and develop? Knowing our purpose helped us put boundaries up. We said no to something that was good and began working to pursue something that is meaningful and impactful.

If you are struggling to know how to answer that "purpose" question then I encourage you to join us at Distilled, March 2-4 in Louisville, KY. The first of four executive leadership experiences. During distilled you can craft your personal and organizational vision and find time to rest.

Vision and purpose provides us the clarity we need to know how to say, "yes", "maybe", or "no" on a daily basis. Vision helps us to establish proper boundaries. It helps us to know where to focus, what to do and how to avoid distractions that drain us, our families and our organizations. Why hitchhike when you ski?

My Wife Wants A Garden The Size Of. A Swimming Pool

My wife has been planning a garden and so she asked me to prep it. She’s from Nebraska … so it’s going to be a big garden. (Think swimming pool size …)

My wife wants a garden, so after a week of praying that she would change her mind, I got on board when she had a friend drop off his tiller. Here are my steps:

Step 1: Get out the mower for the inaugural mow of the season

• Result: The belt popped off the mower 3 times. The swimming pool area is mowed, but that’s it…

Step 2: Learn to use the tiller my buddy dropped off

• Result: The ground still looks like I mowed … She called her dad who shared that there is a setting to adjust the tiller depth. Try #2 is coming tonight. On a positive note, I introduced my 14-year-old son to a pick ax as secondary option to tilling and gaining man muscles.

Step 3: Visit an essential business

• Result: Supporting the local economy

Am I frustrated? Yes. Today was the day it was going to happen. We fired up the Hustler and 90 seconds later the belt popped off. We put the belt back on. 64.2 seconds later the belt popped off.

Today was not much different than any other day during the past few weeks. Goals, ideas, and strategies are interrupted by something unplanned and frustrating.

We’re tired of it. What should take one hour is taking 4 hours and two nights.

I’m not sure how to avoid the gardening frustration (unless I knew how to use a tiller…)

However, I do know how we can make sure that the daily interruptions and frustrations don’t get the best of us. The mower will be fixed. The garden bed will be tilled. The goal will be accomplished. Life will go on.

You see - Meg (my wife) has a clear vision for the garden of what goes where and family and friends enlisted to help with it. So, I’m in. I love the idea. No matter what happens, we will adjust and overcome because I share in the vision.

We can’t avoid daily interruptions and uncertainty getting in the way, but when we have a clear shared vision (that is more than a trite statement), we can overcome and continue on. That’s the key…having a clear shared vision with clear priorities. We need to know and be committed to the daily steps that are necessary to move forward towards the dream.

When we have a clear vision, with clear direction, we can rest. We call it Finding The Eddy.

If you are tired of uncertainty and disruption getting in the way of your vision, change it up. Find The Eddy. Join our coaching group that begins April 15th and we will get there together.