Intentional Growth #341: What it Means to Be "On-Purpose" with Kevin W. McCarthy
Ep.#2 [THEME EIGHT]
The question “what is my purpose?” is searched over 5,000 times on Google globally each month.
It seems like every media source has done a piece on “how important it is to find your purpose” in the past couple of years. I don’t think anyone argues how important it is, however, the bigger issue is HOW to find your purpose, and more importantly, how to do it in a way that makes sense without feeling guilty or anxious that you are not there yet.
I find it super interesting how “having a purpose now” is almost becoming a fad similar to “being authentic.” However, I find the act of “trying to be authentic” an oxymoron. How do you try to be authentic? I think it’s similar to finding your purpose. It doesn’t just land in your lap, and the more you try, sometimes the further away you get.
But that still leaves us all with the big question, “how do we find our purpose?”
On today’s show I have entrepreneur and author Kevin W. McCarthy (not the speaker of the house ;-) who is the founder of consulting company On-Purpose and the author of The On-Purpose Person, The On-Purpose Business Person, Chief Executive Leadership Officer, and his new book Tough Shift. Kevin has been on the journey of helping entrepreneurs, owners, and leaders find their purpose since the late 1980s. I think he was a bit ahead of his time!
If you find your purpose–your true purpose–you will feel a sense of alignment with the world, yourself, and the immediate environment around you. It feels like the things you are working on matter, you are progressing toward something bigger than yourself, and your skills are being used in a way that bring value to the world while you get rewarded for it.
In this episode Kevin shares what the definition of purpose really is and his thoughts on the importance of the process of finding your purpose vs. getting to it as fast as possible and the iterating over time. Because of how long Kevin has been at this, he has very practical ways to think about what it means to “find your purpose” and “live your purpose.”
This is a very practical and actionable conversation that should hopefully leave you encouraged that it is possible for everyone to find their purpose, but more importantly, why it shouldn't be overengineered and how to approach the journey in a way that gives you grace and not anxiety that you are “missing something important in life” but have no playbook on how to fill the gap.
This conversation is an attempt to bring this topic–that most people agree is super important–down to earth so you can start making progress toward the purpose you have and how you can integrate it into your life and business.
// WATCH THE INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE: Intentional Growth™ Podcast
What You Will Learn
- Why a purposeless leader impacts every part of a company and the future success of the business.
- Why you should have a mission statement for your life–and what happens when that falls short.
- A practical and actionable definition of what the word “purpose” means to entrepreneurs.
- How to find your purpose using the “on-purpose principle” and the two-word purpose tool.
- Why aligning your purpose with your goals has a ripple effect with your employees (and makes leadership way easier).
- What corporate America is missing the mark on when it comes to mission statements.
- The clarity behind a tough shift once you are aligned with your vision.
- If you know what you want and why you will be happy no matter what job or situation you are in.
- The humility behind realizing everyone is replaceable when it comes to figuring out your purpose.
// USE YOUR FINANCIALS TO CLARIFY A PATH TOWARDS A MORE VALUABLE BUSINESS: Intentional Growth Financial Assessment
Bio:
Kevin W. McCarthy is the author of The On-Purpose Person and The On-Purpose Business Person (previous edition titled The On-Purpose Business). He is one of the world's leading authorities on the meaningful integration of life and work. Kevin has pioneered the message, concepts, and language of being on-purpose since the late 1980s. As the chief leadership officer of On-Purpose Partners, he's a highly respected business advisor for small and middle market organizations as well as an executive advisor and coach to CEOs, executive directors, and company presidents. His work on deep strategy, alignment, and practical execution has turned around many companies as well as helped healthy companies experience remarkable and sustainable growth. More than just an author, Kevin is a natural leader in business and civic endeavors. He is a professional member of the National Speakers Association. Kevin's goal with audiences is to stir their hearts, advance their thinking, and inspire them to action. Authentic, inspiring, entrepreneurial, intelligent and creative are the qualities most often attributed to this thought leader by his peers, clients, and audiences. Kevin has traveled from Hungary to Hawaii since 1992 inspiring audiences as he carries the message of being on-purpose into the hearts, minds, and lives of people.
Interview Quotes:
09:42 - “It’s amazing how financially illiterate a number of business owners are, and they’re very financially successful.” - Kevin McCarthy
09:54 - “When your emotional stability is tied to–seemingly–a random activity, it’s a dangerous place to be.” - Kevin McCarthy
15:28 - “How do I get a better understanding of my own life and who I am?” - Kevin McCarthy
20:00 - “I think that’s what’s holding boomers back from selling their business - because they don’t know what’s next.” - Kevin McCarthy
28:12 - “That's because we hired a body, not a soul.” - Kevin McCarthy
37:04 - “Between ‘purpose and performance’ or ‘purpose and profits,’ the only thing in between is people.” - Kevin McCarthy
48:32 - “All the sh*t becomes nothing more than a tough shift.” - Kevin McCarthy
50:42 - “We support them that way because I want people to know their purpose, vision, mission, and values.” - Kevin McCarthy
54:04 - “Your purpose has a different expression, that’s all it is.” - Kevin McCarthy
57:09 - “Nobody will be able to do it as good as I do it. And no one will be able to do it on purpose as well. That’s okay, they’ll be able to do it better because they’ll be able to build on what I’ve done.” - Kevin McCarthy
Links and Resources:
Intentional Growth™ Vision Board
Intentional Growth™ Online Training
Reach out to me if you have questions about the Intentional Growth™ Training or Fractional CFO services