Discover the CEO of You® – Become Purpose-Driven

To discover the CEO of YOU®, you must become purpose-driven. Establishing a purpose gives your practice its reason for existence. The purpose of your practice will serve as a guiding force upon which every other decision is rooted. It will set the tone for who your practice exists to serve and dictate how you will use your time, attention, and resources to serve your niche market better than anyone else.

The Parable of the Bricklayers

Once there was a man who came across three bricklayers busy at work. The man asked the first bricklayer what he was doing. “I’m laying bricks,” the worker replied. He then asked the second bricklayer the same question. “I’m putting up a wall,” he said. The passerby then asked the question one more time, this time to the third bricklayer. His response: “I’m building a cathedral.”

The Moral of the Story

As this short anecdote clearly demonstrates, three people can be doing the same thing but for very different reasons. The first bricklayer represents those who labor exclusively for a paycheck. Their job is a list of tasks that need to be completed, but they take no pride in the outcome. This is what I call a minimum thinker. This kind of person only does the minimum required and nothing more and is usually a complainer.

The second bricklayer appears to be motivated by a sense of completion and seems to have a bigger vision than the first worker. This kind of person works a little bit harder to accomplish the goal. Perhaps they would add a few extra minutes here and there to see the goal to completion. This kind of person is your average thinker. They usually limit themselves to only what they can see and do. This kind of person lacks imagination and as a result sometimes misses great opportunities in life.

But the third bricklayer was no doubt driven by a deep desire to create a structure that would enhance the lives of all who would come to that place for years to come. Every brick was a step towards that grandiose vision and aspiration. This type of person is usually willing to do what it takes because their ultimate objective is to leave a legacy. Such individuals operate from a deep sense of purpose. I call these people maximum thinkers. They live on purpose and seek to create something bigger than themselves. They have a great impact on their families, communities, and sometimes the world.

Some Very Important Questions

Which one are you? Do you know why you do what you do? Why did you choose your current career path? If you are in private practice, do you know why? If you have a corporate lease, do you know why? These are very important questions you need to answer. Knowing your why will give you passion and fulfillment in your work.

“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” – Simon Sinek

Why is Purpose Important?

Establishing a purpose gives your practice its reason for existence. The purpose of your practice will serve as a guiding force upon which every other decision is rooted. It will set the tone for who your practice exists to serve and dictate how you will use your time, attention, and resources to serve your niche market better than anyone else.

The strategy and values of a practice may be adjusted over time as the practice grows, changes, and moves into new markets, but the “why” behind the practice – why it was created in the first place and why it exists – will never change. Each time you are considering adding new products or services, when marketing materials are created, or new specialties are explored, a purpose statement will help with the decision-making process.

Remember, successful businesses are those which adhere to a clearly defined purpose in all that they do. Likewise, to discover the CEO of YOU, choose to become purpose-driven.