In my weekly columns in December, I have focused on resolutions.
I have suggested that you need to build new neural pathways for your resolutions to bear fruit. And, that you must guard against falling into the “false hope syndrome”.
Now, I want to recommend that the third vital cog in keeping your resolve is that in order to build this new mindset, and to get passionately vested in achieving any goal; you must first establish purpose.
While these three principles are applicable to all facets of your life, my focus is on your work.
Why do you need professional purpose?
Let me start by drawing inspiration from something that is the complete opposite of your work and career; altruistic pursuits.
I know many people who fervently devote their life to helping others.
My friend Dr. Yee Yoke Leong is a shining exemplar of this.
He was obviously a super smart kid who snagged a Ph.D. in engineering at the tender age of twenty five.
In itself, this is a phenomenal achievement. But then he went on to read for an MBA and shifted from being a technical specialist to getting on the management route. Eventually, at forty, he bailed from corporate life.
I never knew him as an engineer or witnessed his corporate leadership.
My connection with him has been in the past ten years, through his work of mentoring underprivileged young people by providing counseling, training, and financial aid for their education.
Dr. Yee is one of the founders of the Rotary Education Fund at the Bukit Kiara Sunrise Rotary Club. And, I have frequently worked with the club by conducting leadership, and values camps for their mentees.
He is deeply passionate about helping young people with their education. He is both a skilled mentor, and a phenomenal organiser, who gets funding through sheer drive, and a well-honed network.
Interestingly, Dr. Yee has been doing community work for almost thirty years.
He explained to me that his prime motivator was that he understood from an early age that his abilities had to have a “raison d'être” or purpose for existence.
And for him, this purpose was about using his skills to aid those in our community that were not blessed.
I can declare without hesitation, that Dr. Yee has unlocked the secret of sustaining goals, and resolutions. It is about aligning your purpose and values, to your lifestyle. This guarantees success.
Is your work-life as purposeful as Dr. Yee’s drive to help young people?
My experience as a management consultant and leadership coach has taught me that if you do not have a professional purpose, you will find it hard to channel your energies towards a future that you desire.
The key step to finding your professional purpose is to dig deep, and look for what talent you have.
Many people find this very difficult to do. It is simply because of the cacophony of noise that happens in your head. Or you say that you are good at many things. You perhaps are.
But ask yourself what is it that you can do, that others find hard to do? What is it that brings you tremendous energy, even when you just think about it?
Answering this will set you on your way.
Just remember that at your workplace, your actions will reflect your purpose. If your purpose is ambiguous or uncertain, it will show in your attitude, and work-product.
We have all had personal experiences with colleagues who are like this. They forget to do things; they don’t take some important matters seriously, or their attitude is frivolous.
Your sense of purpose is shaped by the things you believe in and value. When you have a strong sense of purpose, you will develop a personal code of behaviour.
And, this purpose will help you live by the same beliefs, and values.
In hindsight, as I look back at my work trajectory, I realise that while my early professional purpose was at best, fuzzy, I did keep hold of one personal philosophy through everything I attempted.
I knew I had one talent which was more outstanding than anything else I could do.
It was my ability to distill large concepts into explainable ideas. And, that I was able to do this by speaking to any size of audience. Perhaps this is why I trained to be a lawyer.
But in my mid-twenties, I realised that being a lawyer did not bring me the fulfillment I was in search of. So I refined my purpose by experimenting with other vocations, like teaching, and entrepreneurship.
Today, I know that my professional purpose is to be “relevant”. And, I do this by helping as many people as I come into contact with, to become the best version of them-selves.
This professional purpose drives me, and gives direction to everything I do. My goals and resolutions are firmly grounded on this.
If you want your 2018 career goals to succeed, start figuring out what your professional purpose is and align them to this.
Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller “So, You Want To Get Promoted?”