“Favor comes because for a brief moment in the great space of human

change and progress some general human purpose finds in him a

satisfactory embodiment.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Today we explore the impact of purpose on motivation, inspiration and culture.

Career analyst Daniel Pink, Al Gore’s former speechwriter, now New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author says that purpose at the work place is a key to motivation. People, who are paid a decent salary, are more likely to do thoughtful, innovative and more productive work if they know why they do what they do. As communal, tribe-oriented beings, we are usually inspired to contribute more powerfully when we have a sense of purpose to our own work and to the energy we expend in collaborating.

While I invite you to consider having a clear sense of purpose about why you want to produce results yourself, I also invite you to consider as a transformational leader how to evoke a sense of purpose when developing the culture of your organization. Begin thinking about how you engage people in knowing and feeling the reasons why they contribute to the organization? What are the values and qualities that people will contribute if they give their all, believing it will make a difference?

You can start by asking people these questions:

• What is in it for you if you do a great job?

• What values do you stand for?

• What uniquely valuable qualities do you think you bring to the company when you’re doing your best job?

 Sense of humor? Camaraderie? Deep analysis or detail orientation? Sense of urgency? Fun?

o What do you contribute to a team that inspires everyone to do better, be more productive and/or work more innovatively?

• How do you bring your best self to the organization?

• What would unleash your passion?

Having conversations about any or all of these themes will create a powerful new clarity of purpose for you and your team. Your relationships will flourish as well.

So what about you? What kind of questions will you ask your team to inspire them to an inspiring purpose?