Move with Purpose

Move With Purpose

© Scott Wilson 2015

My tip for today from my study on successful leaders:  Move with purpose.

In my interactions with and observations of effective leaders I have noticed that they tend to walk and move with purpose.  Their bearing and demeanor let others know that they are in charge.  I am not stating that their is not a time and a place to meander and stroll.  However, when these people are working towards their goals they move with purpose.  Their minds and energies are focused; they do not indulge distraction.  Likewise, I am not implying that these people are stiff and formal.  Good leaders are usually relaxed and tend to convey that easiness to others. 

In French there is a saying "Il sens bien dans sa peau." which means "They feel comfortable in their skin."  This is definitely a key trait of the most successful leaders.  They are at ease with themselves and tend to put others at ease.  I believe that part of that relaxed nature is due to their sense of purpose and drive.  Leaders have a plan and they are working that plan.  They are not waffling about their decisions.  They make decisions. Commit to them and see them through.

If a decision leads to an undesirable or unexpected outcome the excellent leader stops, takes ownership of the event, changes course and moves on.  This should be our lesson.  First, learn to accept ourselves and become comfortable with who and what we are; only then will we be able to extend that grace towards others.  Note that only we can determine who and what we are; others will always see us from there own biased perspective. We are so much more than mothers, fathers, lovers, friends, workers and colleagues.  Get to the core of yourself; know definitively from head to toe who you are.

Next, from a proper sense of self we determine a purpose that we wish to pursue.  Famous motivational writer Earl Nightingale called this "a worthy ideal."  A worthy ideal can be any goal that one strives to achieve and maintain, anything from weight loss to career achievement.  This must be chosen with care as we will be orienting ourselves to achieve this and shedding any distractions.  Difficulties will arise when we develop goals that compete with each other for our time and energy or when we permit distractions.

So finally, having wisely chosen our goals, we move to achieve them. We move with purpose.  When conflicts arise we own them and deal with them either according to their priorities or we adjust our priorities.  Make your decisions with confidence based on knowledge and tempered with instinct.  Listen to both your heart and your mind and do no waffle.  Accept that priorities can change and goals can be paused.  For example, an ailing family member may temporarily trump weight loss plans or career goals. Do not distress - choose and continue to move with purpose in the new direction.

No doubt there those who read my words above and are distressing that they do not have the confidence in themselves or they lack commitment to their purpose.  I offer this advice.  Act as though you do.  Some call this "faking it till you make it."  You want self-confidence.  You want purpose.  Your mind is rarely the problem.  Your fearful heart is usually the culprit holding you back.  In this situation your best course of action is to act decisively with purpose.  In so doing you will be teaching your timid heart to become more bold and to build its trust in you.

I teach young Air Cadets.  One of the things that we instill in these fine young folks is to walk in a certain way when in uniform.  I am not talking about marching.  They are instructed to stand tall, carry items in their left hand and to keep their arms relatively straight.  Having their right hands free allows them to easily salute or shake hands.  Keeping their bearing upright and in control keeps them alert and ready to respond to others.  In short, by teaching people to walk with purpose their thinking  and demeanor changes.  They are beginning to feel and act like the very leaders that we are training them to become.

I do not downplay the difficulty of what I have outlined.  Learning who we are takes a lifetime so we better get started.  Choosing our goals can be equally challenging for they can impact who we become.  But if we want success we cannot shy away from these requirements and then putting them into action.  So I heartily encourage you today to:

Learn who you are...

Choose carefully your goals...

And move firmly with purpose!