The Simplicity of Developing a Clear Purpose

As we looked at how the power of having a clear purpose can help leaders navigate some of the toughests scenarios they’ll face, I suggested that they’ll also need to provide at least as much specificity for the team members they lead and shared how my son accepted a position for five dollars less per hour when he no longer felt connected to a purpose with that company he had worked with for around six years. Rather than pointing fingers any the management team who could have held onto one of the youngest and most productive leads in their facility, while saving a ton of profitability that’s killed when retention is poor and turnover is high, let’s go a completely different direction for now and consider why anyone would choose to risk their live on a daily basis for just over $50,000 per year…

While both vary a bit based on the source (Indeed, Ziprecruiter, Salary.com, etc.), a few quick internet searches will show you that the average salaries for firefighters and police officers in Virginia are just north of $50k. I realize that can be a bit less or even substantially more depending on the locality but the pay ranges for every other type of career will have a matching ebb and flow in those same areas.

I have a close friend who has been in law enforcement since he got out of the military. In the fifteen or so years he’s been a police officer, he’s been in at least half a dozen situations where his life was in immediate danger. I have another close friend who has been a firefighter for more than 30 years, starting as a volunteer before he could even drive a car then working his way up the ranks as a professional, and recently beat a type of cancer that was directly related to his work - and that doesn’t even speak to all the times in those 30-plus years he ran into burning buildings. 

With my two friends fresh in your mind, and with perspective on the average wages for each role in Virginia, why would anyone consider intentionally putting themselves in harm’s way for a salary that’s not much more than make in a full time job stocking shelves in a big box store? I’m convinced it all boils down to purpose! In times where seemingly anyone can gain a social media following if they’re willing to do something stupid on video and share it for the world to see, I still believe that many people just want something they can buy into!

In chapter two of The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, John Maxwell explains “The Law of the Big Picture” by emphasizing that “the goal is more important than the role.” While both of the friends I mentioned above are in roles today where they earn a bit more than the state average (and carry significantly more than average responsibility), they both started the process at the bottom of their respective career ladders because they believe in the purpose they’d be supporting; the goal for each of them was indeed more important than their role! But as noble as their purposes may have been, I’ll stress that providing a purpose to each team member we lead is far simpler than it may seem so we’ll be up there next time!