Nurturing Personal Purpose at Work

Abstract

Reflecting on the purpose of one’s work can be a highly rewarding and inspiring exercise that helps to harmonize the purpose of the individual with that of the organization, resulting in greater job satisfaction and quality of work. However, experience shows that often one’s purpose tends to weaken over time, running the risk of being forgotten altogether when not properly nurtured. Based on the three dimensions of purpose—knowledge, motivation, and action—this work proposes a framework on how to sustain personal purpose at work, increasing meaningfulness, focus, and effectiveness. Six processes for purpose development are presented: self-knowledge, self-awareness, motivation plan, action plan, habit development, and emotional management. Recommendations and examples for their practical development are provided.