Having Fun While We Pursue Our Purpose

Just as much as I get fulfillment by getting things done, there’s a large group of folks who will thrive on having as much fun as they can while they work at achieving their purpose. While this group will likely be every bit as Outgoing and move at a pace that’s just as fast, they’re much more tuned into enjoying the process - and making sure the team around them does as well!

Leaders with this primary behavioral style are usually great in front of an audience. Not only do they enjoy being influential, their words leave a lasting impression. They’re wired to get involved in many things at once and they’re very willing to initiate action. But as much as checking the boxes on the fine details can drain my energy, the leaders who have a high mix of this style can struggle with it even more!

When they can build some humor and excitement into even the most routine tasks, their energy levels won’t drop nearly as much. If they’re able to identify a clear purpose that provides them with opportunities for fun along the way, at least on more than the occasional basis, the responsibility that comes with leadership won’t feel nearly as heavy.

The challenge a leader with this primary style will face is that there will inevitably be times where someone has something bad to say about you. Where these leaders will generally do all they can to make sure everyone enjoys the journey, they often take criticism very personally - especially when it’s done in a public forum! Their willingness to get involved in multiple things at any given time can open them up to being somewhat illogical about how many of those commitments they can actually follow through on but being called out in front of others can bring out even worse traits, and that alone can throw water on even the strongest purpose they may have for accepting the responsibility to lead others.

Make no mistake here, I’m not suggesting that an Outgoing and People-Oriented leader can expect every day to be all fun and games any more than the Outgoing and Task-Oriented leaders (like me) can expect to produce great results each day without getting bogged down in the occasional mess of details. Life doesn’t work that way for anyone - and it most certainly doesn’t work that way when we’re willing to carry the weight of leadership. That’s why having an extremely clear purpose and understanding how we’re wired so we can work to best connect our daily tasks with that purpose is so important. Once we understand ourselves, we can work to surround ourselves with other leaders who can compliment us with their strengths.

Now that we’ve got a handle on two variations of the leaders with a more Outgoing approach, let’s change gears to look at what a more Reserved leader needs to tie their routines back to a fulfilling purpose. We’ll start with the largest group of them all next…