Modern Mentor Purpose is a verb: How to practice intentional leadership, with Ira Bedzow
Jan 6, 2026
Ira Bedzow, Executive Director of the Emory Purpose Project and a professor at Emory University, challenges the conventional notion of purpose as a destination. He argues that purpose is an active verb, essential in all industries. Ira offers insights on cultivating skills like resilience and reflection to foster a purpose-driven culture. He emphasizes the importance of listening in leadership and making ethical decisions based on people's true desires. Lastly, he encourages creativity in generating options instead of settling for the first choice.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Purpose As A Verb
- Ira reframes purpose as a verb and a lens, not a fixed noun to find or create.
- Purpose becomes a competency set of skills you cultivate, not a destiny you must discover.
Real Estate As Building Identity
- Ira describes his real estate work as fitting his identity as a builder and shaping communities.
- He used condo docs and politics classes to connect projects to community impact and personal purpose.
Begin With Wants, Not Shoulds
- Start ethical decisions by asking "What do you want to do?" rather than what you should do.
- Then ask "Do you want to want to do that?" to test if the want aligns with your deeper values.