Leading with Noble Purpose

Chapter 18The DNA of a Noble Purpose Leader

Purpose is like a plant. You have to water it, you have to tend to it, you have to nurture it.

—Bruce Poon Tip, Founder, G Adventures

In business, we've been dancing around purpose for decades. It's evolved. Some of the earlier versions include:

• Reputation—When businesses were more local entities, owners cared about their reputations.
• Motivation—As owners recognized the importance of employees, they tried to improve results by using money internally for employees.
• Competitive Advantage—As business became more sophisticated, organizations showcased their differentiators and customer benefits externally.

People have also used words like customer-focus and attitude. We now recognize that those earlier concepts are the behaviors and outcomes that stem from the right purpose.

But a purpose is only as good as the leader who champions it. In today's fragmented, 140-character, everything-right-now environment, leadership is everything. Leadership is distinguishing the differences between organizations that succeed and those that fail.

By now, you recognize that as a leader, you're the lynchpin. If your organization is going to rise above mediocrity, you have to be the one who takes it there. Here's a summary of what's required to become a Noble Purpose leader:

Have Absolute Clarity about Your NSP

Noble Purpose leaders are absolutely explicit about their NSP; it's the gestalt of their business, the centerpiece of their strategy. They have ...