Get a Life! The Power of a Personal Mission (part 3)
Get a Life! The Power of a Personal Mission
Having clarity on our own mission empowers us to lead from the heart, reminds us of what matters most, and allows us to create powerful goals that are grounded in who we are becoming. Let’s talk about storytelling – and how storytelling sustains us as well as our organizations.
Why storytelling?
Storytelling is one of the most effective tools to drive impact. Storytelling teaches important lessons about success and failure. Storytelling unifies teams with a shared purpose.
Storytelling is also a way to sustain yourself as a leader. When our job gets hard (and when isn’t it?), reminding ourselves that we are writing and living our story every day can be a powerful way to build meaning and purpose into our daily work and life. Combined with our personal mission, our stories sustain and rejuvenate us. Our stories remind us of our higher purpose and the reasons for doing what we do. Paying attention to our story aligns our work and our personal lives in powerful and significant ways.
Leverage brain research when storytelling. (Chen, The Art of Inspiration, 2016)
· Our brains are wired to process information in narrative form. We seek meaning.
· Stories are how we remember. This is how we transfer information from short to long term memory.
· We tend to lose focus about every 10 minutes. Stories help us stay engaged.
· Big emotions (love, fear, sorrow, struggle, inspiration) are the most memorable.
· We tend to grasp complex information better in the form of a short story or metaphor.
Find your story.
Justina Chen (2018) does a fantastic job of laying out the processes for finding and telling her story. And while she primarily focuses on organizational leaders, her experience and wisdom apply to your personal mission and story as well.
“The single most powerful story you can – and must – share…. is your Defining Moment Story (Chen, 2016). Start by unpacking that defining moment. As I previously wrote, so often it is the unexpected that transforms us. We wander onto an uncertain path. We hit a roadblock that knocks us off course. We face an unanticipated challenge. Consider those moments that ultimately transformed you. Here are some questions to help you dive in more deeply (adapted from Chen, 2018) to your heritage story:
· What did you want? What path or goals were you pursuing?
· What happened instead? What trials or circumstances nearly brought you to your knees?
· How did you feel?
· What new pathways did you take? What decisions did you make?
· How did this change the way you see yourself? Others?
· What opportunities were created for you?
· What lessons did you learn? How do these inform the way you lead? The way you live? Your big ideas?
Once you’ve answered these questions (less is more!), circle back to those core values and beliefs that you established for your one pager. In what ways are those values woven into these story elements? Where do you see connections and threads?
Practice and hone your story.
At this point, you’ve been soaking in your personal mission for quite some time. A powerful story is now in hand. It reflects your core values and captures a defining moment that has brought you to where you are. So, take that story and begin to share with others. Seek feedback, adapt, and keep telling that story in small ways and with small audiences. Hone it and own it.
The Power of a Personal Mission
There is such power in living your personal mission and telling your story.
We are leading better when we lead from the heart. When we show up more authentically, we establish stronger connections and build trust. A personal mission brings clarity to who we are so that we can show up genuinely, consistently, and more fully ourselves. Regardless of whether our personal mission is the headline or woven into the story, we are more likely to be consistent and clear when we know who we are.
Having a north star helps remind us of what matters most. When we have identified our core purpose, our personal mission, we are better able to see the forest through the trees. We find coherent meaning beyond what might appear to be random bits and pieces. We can see how our daily experiences align with our larger vision.
Knowing who we want to become is powerful. I believe that personal transformation comes from getting clarity about who you are and who you want to be – not what you want to do. A well-articulated mission is a commitment to becoming. Because you have alignment, you can be very present in your daily personal and professional life, confident that you are moving forward with intention and commitment.
Having a personal mission transforms ourselves and our organizations. We all love a good story. As school leaders we know storytelling brings to life our organization’s purpose and values, conveys a sense of history, and provides insight and inspiration into where we are heading. At the core of our stories is a clear mission that guides our daily decisions and aligns our strategic work.
You must own and tell your personal story if you are to live and lead authentically.