Written by: David Kegley, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What Ever Happened to the Energy?
Your career ship was once sailing at full speed and you were undaunted in your ambition. You were sharp, nimble, and clear-minded. But you’ve taken stock recently and it’s as if you entered the doldrums. Your sails are slack, the things that usually felt stimulating and energizing no longer perk you up. In sum, you’ve lost a connection to your motivations.
To be fair, this set of symptoms could be a multitude of things. You could be depressed. You could have health and fitness-related symptoms and should consider ruling out these things by having a routine checkup with your healthcare provider. If you are suspicious that your energy lag could be due to a health concern, please do that before proceeding. If it turns out that you cannot blame your predicament on anything health-related, what then?
This may be more along the lines of a motivational issue. You could be out of touch with your reason for being, your mission, and your vision for your work on the planet. You may need to dig deep into the reason you are here, what you most love doing and what the world needs most from you.
These Questions Are Not for the Faint of Heart
Whenever I ask my clients to begin this process of digging deep into their personal and professional mission statement, I warn them:
This is a challenging process. You may feel some resistance going into it, but the rewards occur as you finish and begin to experience new motivations. Are you ready for this challenge?
Most assure me that this is right where they need to be and they really want to work through creating their statements. Usually, each client experiences some resistance. But when they push through their threshold of change, whole new worlds begin to unlock.
I recommend developing a set of Guiding Principles, Mission, and Vision Statements that serve to reconnect you with the core of your purpose. In her book Extraordinary Leadership: Thinking Systems, Making a Difference, Roberta Gilbert wrote about developing a set of Guiding Principles, Mission and Vision statements. (Leading System Press. Falls Church, Virginia, 2006 pp. 121-132.) Guiding Principles are one’s own personal proverbs, like: “I never make a crucial decision without consulting three of my most trusted advisors.” Or “Simple and elegant wins over complex and lumbering every time.” Or “My most brilliant insights occur after some good exercise and some good laughter with a trusted friend.” Of course, they must be your own, true guiding principles, the ones that will serve you when you need to make important decisions or summon your creative spirit. I suggest that people create a small handful of the most relevant and informative Guiding Principles. Maybe five or six of them at first and then gradually add to them. Their purpose is to be there when you get a little stuck and are wondering what to do next.
A Mission Statement tells why you are here and what you currently do best right now. It’s usually best told in 1-3 sentences that you can, eventually, say back from memory. A Vision Statement is your best dream of where you hope to go in the future—again, 1-3 sentences that can be said from memory. Since you’re going to be saying these from memory, have these statements be as fun as possible to say. You’ll be saying them a lot to yourself. Occasionally—when someone’s curious and when it fits the occasion—you may want to say them to others.
Knowing Your Mission and Vision Sets You Apart
The truth is that not many people work out their own Guiding Principles, Mission, and Vision. It can be difficult to articulate what you want in life and to have the courage to dream about where you want to go to fulfill your potential: to live intentionally. It takes real, imaginative, visionary and creative work to do so. It also takes some linguistic handiwork!
Please don’t underestimate how hard this may be for you. For some, it may come naturally but for most, it will require several dedicated weekends or a study leave. It may take a coach’s structured encouragement over several sessions to get you to a place where you are satisfied with a final, working product.
The result will be a working document that energizes you, leads you to create weekly, quarterly and annual goals that are custom-made for you and are a portable, memorable sense of what you are up to with your life. Most importantly, when done carefully, this document will be a direct line to your motivational core.
Keep the Long-Term in View
This type of work is not in the realm of the quick fix. Do not look for your life to turn around in one day, one week or anytime soon. You may be pleasantly surprised at first but pay no attention to anything that happens quickly. That’s not your real concern. What you are looking for is your evolution over time. You may not even be able to perceive it at first.
Focus instead on the things that will cause change: your own response to your Guiding Principles, Mission and Vision. What do you do, given that you believe in these things? What are your immediate and long-term goals, given that you are now governed by these brilliant insights? Set these goals and monitor your progress. As the months come and go, you may even want to add new Guiding Principles and/or tweak your Mission and Vision Statements to better match your sense of your evolving self.
What’s Different Over Time?
First, the opportunity for saying “no” and saying “yes” may present itself more clearly to you. Look for this and anticipate it. Look especially for the very special opportunity to say “no.” This may feel unnatural to you. So, you should plan for it, rehearse it and strategize for it because it is very important and it will elevate your career. For many, it may seem counterintuitive that saying “no” should elevate one’s career. And, of course, turning down requests from your superiors can be tricky and is sometimes a fine art that involves diplomacy and social grace. Ultimately it signals to everyone involved that you have clear boundaries and are determined to excel along a trajectory that you have identified and one that reflects your highest values.
You may want to selectively share your statement with a few others over time. But I usually advise that it is more important that you live out your statements: that people begin to see the difference and are provoked to ask you what has made the difference. This is where the whole enterprise expands… exponentially! Did I forget to mention that you are doing systems work here? The technical term is “Self-Differentiation,” and it happens when you can define yourself calmly at the moment, within your work system. One of the things that enable you to do so is having done the hard work of developing a set of Guiding Principles, Mission, and Vision Statements. When you have done it for yourself, you will be one of the few who stand head and shoulders above others.
Test this. Do the hard work it takes. Dig deep. See if you find the wind in your sails again, the motivation that fuels your very best going forward. See if when you define yourself within your organization, people take notice and begin seeking you out. See if they begin defining themselves and if perhaps your whole organization may indeed follow suit. You may be asked to help your organization to define itself and you may be the one who leads the way!
Want David to help you with developing your Mission Statement? You can reach him at: drkegley.com or LinkedIn
David Kegley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Kegley specializes in coaching well-educated, progressive leaders and executives who have been stopped in their tracks due to health setbacks. His doctorate is in theology and preaching. His first 25-year career was in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., where he was a Pastor and Head of Staff. But, after getting nearly burned out, getting diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, and going through cancer treatment, he emerged as a credentialed coach. Now he Coaches in the areas where he experienced his own humility and growth: Health and Wellness, The Cancer Journey, Burnout Recovery, and Leadership and Executive.
