
"We chose to work with Common Purpose as the programme they proposed was exciting, experiential, and provided our leaders with access to an incredibly diverse range of leaders from beyond our business."
Navigating change and uncertainty with renewed conviction
Purpose-driven leadership is a powerful lever of success. It helps organizations achieve their goals and can inspire people to do their best work. It creates a sense of shared purpose. It bridges the gap between individual and organizational values. It is the single most important factor determining if people are engaged with work. It drives people to do what they do, day in day out.
Placing a north star at the centre of setting strategic priorities and decision making will inspire and motivate people in new ways in a fast-changing world, as well as act as a lever to keep people going towards the result that can sometimes feel elusive. Combining a strong sense of moral self, strategic vision and a deep commitment to doing things that are for the betterment of others, purpose-driven leadership, when done well, leads to bigger picture success because it pushes individuals and others around them to accomplish great things.
"We chose to work with Common Purpose as the programme they proposed was exciting, experiential, and provided our leaders with access to an incredibly diverse range of leaders from beyond our business."
"It’s been great to support Common Purpose and its primary objective of developing leaders who can cross boundaries. We have been continually impressed with the quality of students that we’ve met. Through programmes like these, we will be able to equip the next generation with the skills they need to lead."
"The programme was special with regards to the space it provided to discover leadership skills and apply them. What makes it special is the fact that it emphasizes very simple concepts, intellectually speaking but very deep when it comes to the impact and the change it can make in society. "
Many organizations have no idea how to create a culture of purpose. What is it and why does it exist? What are the values and core beliefs driving an organisation, and its people, forward? Developing a strong culture of purpose will guide behaviours, influence strategy, transcend leaders and will endure for the long term.
Within a purpose driven culture, people have a real sense of ownership of the whole organization. It energizes teams and guides decisions. Within it, people know who they serve, what they serve and how to embody the feeling of the organization – it walks the talk.
It all starts with finding and defining an inspiring purpose in your organization – providing that strong sense of direction that can stop organizations from leaning towards things that are not aligned to the purpose.
It then takes an alignment or at least understanding of difference between the individual purpose of the people with the organization and the organization itself.
Why? Because the more people can align actions with values, the more successful they become as change agents.
No singular solution can create a culture of purpose in the world of work. So we offer a variety of solutions that can be taken in isolation or as part of a wider purpose-driven culture programme.
Get in touch with our learning experts to discuss your organizational goals.
Navigating purpose for individuals and organizations is complex and messy, but it creates deeper meaning and belonging at work. That’s why we have created our COMPASS framework for individuals, teams and organizations to support them in having more balanced conversations in their purpose culture journey.
Confidence in your own abilities is crucial in good leadership. So we work with you to develop your self belief in your own leadership and professional abilities, form a network of peers who support and advise, and learn about authentic leadership, and how to bring your whole self to work.
Developing the right mindset – inclusive, courageous and intentional – will give you a better understanding of how your way of viewing the world determines your behaviour and outlook; how you interpret, and respond to situations; and ultimately, how you effectively and efficiently make change happen.
All leadership happens in context – in a particular place and at a particular time. The Common Purpose Good Leadership Model will help you to be effective in different contexts and situations. Adapting better to different contexts, drawing on deep insights and diverse networks to make better decisions or by broadening your horizons to better understand how people and places interconnect.
Attributes are the qualities, behaviours and characteristics we see as being crucial, must haves, to leading change. You must demonstrate these key attributes in your approach:
And finally you need to develop some key skills to deliver change and cross boundaries, effectively and efficiently. These must be learned, practiced, and refined to enable you to accelerate the pace of change. Across our programmes, to different degrees, you will be given the knowledge, understanding, tools and techniques to develop the following key people skills:
We focus on helping people to develop the right mindset, to help better understand how their way of viewing the world determines their behaviour and outlook; how they interpret, and respond to situations; and ultimately, how to effectively and efficiently make change happen. This is core in all Common Purpose programmes.
of executives at purposeful companies report that the integration of purpose creates value in the short term and over the long run
Source: EY Beacon Institute (2017)
of employees who work at companies that are clear about how they create value for customers feel motivated, versus 31% at other companies
Source: Strategy& by PwC (2019)
For over 30 years we have been driven by purpose. It is at the core of who we are. It’s in our name. We work passionately with people to help push the boundaries of what is possible. All so that they can become those who can help us to work better together, be the connectors of our unique lived experiences, our purpose, and lead, with a difference.
Whether through our global work in building leadership programmes that support people to work across sectors, ignite the power of women in leadership, catalyze underrepresented community leadership, or working with different generations to support them in the future of work, we have a deep understanding of what can help build bridges across multiple purposes.