Explore it yourself
Practical starting points for exploring purpose resonance - individually, in a one-to-one, or with a team. Use whichever feels right for where you are.
These are starting points, not a structured programme. Use whichever feels right for where you are - individually, in a one-to-one, or with a team.
A question to sit with
If our purpose disappeared from every document overnight, what would actually change about how we work?
Don't rush to answer. Let it sit. The speed of your answer tells you something. The content of it tells you more.
A conversation to have
Ask six people at different levels and in different teams the same question: What is this organisation for? Don't prompt, don't correct, don't show them the statement first. Just listen. You are not testing them. You are listening for where the signal is strong, where it has faded, and where it is telling a different story entirely. The patterns in their answers will tell you more about purpose resonance than any survey.
Something to observe this week
Pay attention to the next three decisions you are involved in. For each one, notice: did purpose feature in the reasoning - explicitly or implicitly? If it did, how? If it did not, what drove the decision instead? You are not judging. You are noticing. Over a week, the pattern becomes visible.
A useful tension to name
Think of a recent moment where purpose and pragmatism pulled in different directions. What happened? Who won? And how did people feel about the outcome? These tension points are where purpose either proves itself or reveals its limits. Both are valuable information.
One thing to try
At your next team meeting or leadership session, replace the usual opening with a single question: Where did purpose show up in our work this month - and where was it absent? No preparation needed. No slides. Just an honest five-minute conversation. What people say - and what they don't say - will give you a remarkably clear picture.