The book, "Legacy" by James Kerr covers lessons in leadership that can be learnt from the game of rugby. The book discusses how the All Blacks achieved greatness and applies some of these lessons to the world of business to help make us into better business leaders.
I have previously covered:
- Lesson 1 - Sweep the sheds
- Lesson 2 - Go for the gap
Today, I am covering the third lesson from the book.
Play with purpose
The All Blacks taught that you have to play with purpose. If you have purpose, you will perform so much better. It gives a team focus and something to strive for.
Simon Sinek in his book on leaders says "Start with why". Martin Luther King didn't stand in front of hundreds of thousands of people to say "I have a 10 point plan". No, he had a "dream". When we create a sense of purpose through a vision and powerful imagery, we inspire and motivate people.
"Leaders connect personal meaning to a higher purpose to create belief and a sense of direction"
Many of the top successful companies made their achievements with lofty goals and visions to follow. Whether it is Ford wanting to "democratize the automobile", or Disney wanting to "bring a smile to the faces of children", or with Toyota "there is always a better way." Purpose gives us direction. It is not what we do that drives us, it is why we do it. So as a business leader, you must think about a compelling vision to follow and sell the vision to your team. You will get them all rowing in the same direction with a sense of purpose.
"My army won because they knew what they were fighting for"
Oliver Cromwell
According to Victor Frankl (and please read his book if you haven't), when you dig really deep into the human psyche, you will find that a sense of purpose can keep you going through any hardship that you need to endure. The stronger your sense of purpose, the more you will strive to endure the hardships you face. It worked for Victor as he survived the gas chambers in the concentration camps.
"He who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how"
Nietzsche
Do you have a sense of purpose? Have you asked yourself why you are doing what you are doing?
