Hacking Leadership: The 11 Gaps Every Business Needs to Close and the Secrets to Closing Them Quickly

Chapter 2

Hacking the Purpose Gap

Great leadership cannot exist much less flourish absent great purpose.

One of the first things I ask new a client is who do they want to be when they grow up? The next question is usually what do they stand for? These are two difficult questions to answer, but ones all great leaders can address with great clarity and specificity.

I’ve always said it doesn’t take much talent to draw a crowd, but it requires great skill and ability to lead an engaged, passionate, and committed community of productive men and women. People can be rallied around many things, but none more powerful than purpose. All great leaders understand this premise not only with regard to their own journey, but also with regard to the organizations and teams they lead.

I want you to take a moment and examine how you identify leaders. . . . Is it by performance only, or by a broader measure? I have always believed the gold standard of leadership, the measurement of leadership greatness if you will, is based on a leader’s ability to align talent and outcomes with purpose. It is at the nexus of these three areas where legends are born and history is made.

One of my favorite modern day legends in the making is Elon Musk. He is a purpose-driven leader focused on changing the world through disruptive, scalable, businesses that combine technology and energy efficiency. If you’re not familiar with Elon, he used the success of his first venture (PayPal) to form three other businesses: Tesla ...