The problems with team purpose

One of the key topics when I start working with a team is purpose.

And, as is becoming tradition in these newsletters, I’m going to offer you a (different) opinion and perspective on purpose, one you can apply from now on.

Many teams don’t have a purpose.

Some have a fuzzy one, because each team member defines it differently.

Others are clear about their purpose (because the company has defined it for them), but it doesn’t resonate with the team.

These three scenarios can be boiled down into three questions:

- What is the team’s purpose?

- How does the team actually explain it?

- How much energy is there around that purpose?

When I ask about purpose in sessions, I hear all kinds of answers: from “make lots of money” to “improve people’s lives.”

But the real question is:

What is the one thing this team offers that only this team, together, can offer?

This, in my view, is the heart of purpose.

Because a real team must be able to articulate why it exists as a team.

And that why is its purpose.

If they can’t do that, there’s plenty of work to be done.

Because purpose eventually trickles down into goals, and if there’s no real drive behind the purpose, imagine how little there will be behind the goals.

Purpose is something we can only achieve together.

I can’t do it on my own. You can’t either. But together, we can.

It’s about defining how the world will be different once we’ve made it happen, together.

The purpose of this newsletter is, and will always be, to give you a different lens on the day-to-day reality of teams, and to offer you actionable exercises you can apply tomorrow.

Because I truly believe that a team with a clear, aligned, and energising purpose is unstoppable and capable of achieving whatever it sets its sights on.

Let’s not kid ourselves: most teams are not there yet.

But if you want yours to be, write to me.

Win wisely,

Dino

P.S. Tomorrow, ask your team:

- What is the team’s purpose?

- How does the team actually explain it?

- How much energy is there around that purpose?

- What is the one thing this team offers that only this team, together, can offer?