Emerging Leaders - Uncover Your Purpose

Series 1

Finding Purpose Introduction In this series, we will review passion versus purpose and learn the distinction between the two.

Additionally, we will cover the history of tribes and how traditions of old embody the essence of successful relationships today. In conclusion, we will explore how you can uncover your purpose.

EMERGING LEADERS

Session #3 - Uncover your Purpose / Digging Deeper My purpose is to ______________ (your contribution to the lives of others) so that ______________________________________ (impact of your contribution).

When drafting your purpose statement, keep the following in mind:

Ineffective Ideas • Make everyone around me happy so they can live a better tomorrow • Increase my income so my daughter can go to college and live the life I could not • Fit in with the norm.

Effective Ideas • Ignite people’s imagination about what’s possible, so they are motivated to do more with their lives.

• Propel people forward, so they can make their mark in the world.

• Encourage people to do the things that inspire them, so together we can change the world.

Now that you have created a Purpose Statement, identify one or two people you associate with your purpose statement. These are people you know you can count on to hold you accountable to your purpose, and to challenge you when you deviate from it. Write down their names, and establish a date by which you will share your purpose with them.

Names

Deadlines

EMERGING LEADERS

Workshop: Mentee: This session is intended to be extremely personal, so prepare to go deep.

Instructions: Identify seven stories from your past you feel stand out as defining experiences of your life.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

After you have listed your seven stories, rate them from least impactful to most impactful (scale of 1-3).

Prepare to discuss your stories with your mentor; you will be asked to provide more detail about your stories.

Mentor Your task during this activity is to identify patterns in the stories. This will help you and your mentee uncover the individuals’ purpose. You are helping discover what drives the individual and to help them understand what has shaped the core of there being, and how that drives their decisions and values. Your primary role in this process is to listen and ask questions to reveal the underlying meaning for each memory. As you listen, take notes. Notice patterns, the words and phrases that reoccur in the stories. Put your own biases aside and remain open to your mentee’s stories.

EMERGING LEADERS

Techniques that can help you ask questions to elicit more information and insight: • As you listen and take notes, make eye contact, lean in, and offer affirmation.

• Remember this is not therapy: you are not here to give advice but to offer understanding.

• Avoid simply asking “Why?” This will not provide deeper understanding.

• Avoid questions that elicit little more than yes or no. Avoid leading questions, which have an answer embedded in them.

When you are the listener in a sensitive environment, the right non-directive questioning can help the speaker describe their viewpoint more fully. Here are some questions you can ask: • What about that experience did you love/dislike the most?

• Why do you think that is?

• What sort of impact do you think this had? Describe the circumstances in more detail.

• Can you think of a time you felt that way before? What was that feeling like?

• Did that remind you of something? What about that frightened you?

• What about that made you feel happy, loved or appreciated?

• Why did you choose that story vs. xyz? When you said xyz, tell me more about that?

How do you think this changed you?

• You’ve said xyz a few times. Why do you think this recurs in your stories?

• Why this story about this specific person?

EMERGING LEADERS

EMERGING LEADERS

ValleywiseLeaders.org © 2021 Valleywise Health Foundation. All rights reserved.