May 09, 2026

Leading with Intention | An Interview with Dustin Peterson

55 minutes

Dustin Peterson is the founder and president of Proof Leadership Group, a leadership consultancy that works with organizations to train leaders and help develop their company culture. He is also an author and recently published his fourth book, Meant for More: Waking Up to the Life You Were Sent to Live. He currently serves as the stake president in the Friendswood Texas Stake and has served as a seminary teacher, branch president, stake presidency counselor, and counselor in the Texas Houston South Mission. He lives in Houston with his wife and four children and loves bacon and Dallas sports teams.

Links

Meant for More: Waking Up to the Life You Were Sent to Live

When Leaders Accidentally Limit Their Effectiveness | An Interview with Dustin Peterson

Clarifying Purpose to Guide Your Calling, Work, & Family Life | An Interview with Dustin Peterson

Leading with Your God-Given Talents | An Interview with Dustin Peterson

Watch the video and share your thoughts in the Zion Lab community

Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community

Highlights

The conversation centers on the importance of purpose in leadership and personal development.

Key Insights

Purpose as Motivation: Purpose serves as a powerful source of motivation, helping individuals overcome challenges and find fulfillment in their roles, whether formal or informal.

Crucibles of Experience: Personal trials and challenges often reveal one’s purpose. Reflecting on difficult experiences can lead to insights about how to serve others and make a positive impact.

The Importance of “Why”: Understanding the deeper reasons behind actions and assignments is crucial for effective leadership. Leaders should help others grasp the “why” behind their responsibilities to foster engagement and commitment.

Simplicity in Purpose Statements: Effective purpose statements should be short, bold, and idealistic, guiding individuals toward meaningful goals without being overly complex.

Individual Purpose: Each person has a unique purpose that can be discovered through reflection on past experiences and aspirations for the future.

Leadership Applications

Fostering a Purpose-Driven Culture: Latter-day Saint leaders can create an environment where members feel empowered to explore their individual purposes, encouraging them to share their experiences and insights.

Utilizing Reflection Exercises: Leaders can implement activities like journey mapping to help individuals identify their highs and lows, facilitating discussions that uncover personal purposes and motivations.

Encouraging Open Dialogue: By prioritizing conversations about purpose and the “why” behind church activities, leaders can enhance engagement and inspire members to take meaningful action in their callings.

00:04:14 – Overview of Meant for More Book

00:05:08 – The Importance of Purpose in Leadership

00:10:07 – Purpose vs. Motivation in Leadership

00:12:13 – Understanding the Why Behind Ministering

00:15:14 – The Role of Purpose in Church Leadership

00:18:23 – Finding Personal Purpose Beyond Formal Roles

00:20:09 – The Three Components of Purpose

00:25:05 – The Impact of Crucibles on Purpose

00:30:07 – Creating a Purpose Statement for a Stake

00:34:51 – The Importance of a Rallying Point in Leadership

00:38:07 – Finding Purpose Outside of Formal Leadership

00:40:39 – Activity: Creating a Journey Map for Purpose

00:42:24 – Conclusion and Reflection on Growth Through Crucibles

The award-winning Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints’ mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Find Leadership Tools, Courses, and Community for Latter-day Saint leaders in the Zion Lab community. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Benjamin Hardy, Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Kirby Heyborne, Taysom Hill, Coaches Jennifer Rockwood and Brandon Doman, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 800 episodes.

Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

...more

View all episodes

By Leading Saints

4.8

11951,195 ratings