Purpose is not a poster, it is a practice - The leader's perspective
Why Purpose Matters
I once worked on a project for 6 years. In the beginning, it was exciting. I was learning, growing, and watching my designs transform from drawings into reality. I could see the impact of my work. But as the years passed, the excitement faded. The learning plateaued. I found myself doing the same things, just on different projects. That’s when the question hit me: “Is this what I want to do for the rest of my career? What is the purpose?”
You’ve probably seen this too. That engineer who once lit up with ideas but now just follows instructions. Not because they can’t do the work, but because they can’t see why it matters.
Purpose acts as fuel. It sustains effort when rewards are distant, transforms monotony into meaning, and anchors identity beyond job titles.
For organisations, purpose is what shifts behaviour from compliance to commitment. When people understand why their work matters, they stop just completing tasks. They become curious, they problem-solve, they care about outcomes. That is intrinsic motivation, and it’s far more powerful than extrinsic motivators like salary. But purpose doesn’t replace fair pay. Compensation meets basic needs. Purpose sustains performance.
Purpose + Profit
Purpose and profit can coexist, but only when the purpose is believable. When leaders say, “We’re making the world a better place!” but their decisions tell another story, people notice. The purpose becomes a slogan instead of being part of the culture.
Every decision and action either reinforces or erodes your purpose. The projects you pursue, the clients you serve, the behaviours you reward. All of these reveal what your organisation truly values. When purpose and decision-making align, it doesn’t just inspire people; it drives results. That alignment becomes the company’s culture and DNA.
When Purpose Gets Lost
A company can have bold visions like “fight climate change” or “decarbonise infrastructure,” but if individuals can’t see how their everyday work connects to it, the purpose becomes abstract. That’s when leadership at every level, especially middle managers, must close the gap.
Clarity fuels purpose.
When an engineer spends weeks iterating a design, and doesn’t understand why, that’s a leadership opportunity. You could tell them: “This optimisation reduces embodied carbon, leading to a more sustainable outcome.” This reframes the work from a repetitive/boring task to value and impact.
How Leaders Inspire Purpose
Purpose can’t be created with posters or slogans. Leaders can only create the conditions where it emerges.
1. Connect the dots explicitly
Before starting a project or task, take 10 minutes to explain its bigger picture, such as:
Why it matters to the community
Who benefits
How each person’s work contributes.
Our tasks become coherent with the bigger picture. They connect to outcomes that matter. This shifts from following instructions to problem solvers.
If I had understood that those impact assessments were protecting communities from construction risks, that real lives could be affected if we got it wrong, I would have approached my work differently. I would have asked better questions. I would have cared about accuracy, the process, not just completion.
2. Give autonomy over the how
Micromanaging kills ownership. When people control their approach, they invest identity in outcomes. They stop being box-checkers and become problem-owners.
3. Model your own purpose
If you can’t articulate why you’re in the job beyond the paycheck, how will your team find theirs? Your conviction is contagious.
4. Create space for purpose diversity
Not everyone finds meaning the same way. Some light up mentoring others. Some thrive in technical mastery. Others in fixing complex problems. Don’t expect everyone to fit in a box. Help your people discover where they contribute best.
Keeping Purpose Alive
As leaders, our role is to connect effort to impact, to keep the purpose alive. To remind people that every task, no matter how small, ripples outward. To make decisions that reflect the purpose we claim to believe in.
People stay when they believe their work matters.