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Leaders MUST Slow Down. Everything Is Moving Too Fast. People Are Disengaging. Opportunities Are Being Missed: It Is Imperative That We Rediscover ‘Purpose’, in this VUCA World

When did you last take the time to slow down and consider ‘Purpose’ in your work, and with your colleagues? Purpose is the ‘felt sense’ of meaning that comes from knowing how your work contributes to something bigger than yourself. It’s the internal alignment that impacts how you show up, the choices you make and the energy you bring.

We are all guilty of not putting time into thinking about and discussing this. I see it myself in my own actions and in the actions of many of the managers, leaders and teams I work with. Obstacles for most of us include having so many competing priorities, not seeing the value of putting the time into this, and not understanding the positive impact it could have.

The most important piece to consider here is that we are living through an age of uncertainty, acceleration and relentless information. Many people describe feeling overwhelmed, disillusioned or numb, not because they are fragile, but because their brains are being asked to do things they were never designed for. This includes holding endless competing priorities, holding relentless information coming from all directions, and holding constant global threat without pause. It’s exhausting!

There are many things we can do to manage our minds and bodies together through this. Today I am going to focus on this topic of ‘Purpose’. Giving ourselves the opportunity to reflect on and to discuss our purpose has never been so relevant, in my lifetime anyway. Our brain is built to filter, and regularly misses useful information because of the amount of information coming at us. By understanding our purpose in our roles, at work, as parents, as friends, as carers, in our communities, we can support our brains to filter for information that will enable us to be more efficient and effective in where we focus and how we spend our time.

At its core, purpose reflects four elements:

• Personal fulfilment: growth, mastery, recognition, and strong relationships that make life and work feel rewarding rather than draining.
• Meaningful contribution:feeling that your daily work and life connects to a larger goal for your organisation, customers, family, community, or society as a whole.
• Values alignment: when your personal values and the organisation or community’s mission reinforce each other, it creates a shared sense of direction.
• Positive impact: the desire to make a difference by elevating colleagues and clients, supporting family, friends and neighbours, or leaving an imprint on your industry or community.

For some of us, identifying our purpose in our various roles in life and work will be a motivator, for some of us it will be a path of clarity and focus, and for some it will be a sense of meaning, of hope or of spiritual connection.

When we get clear on our purpose, it focuses us on:

What matters…for example, our values.

What we can influence…our courage to take ownership and agency

How we treat each other as we pass each other in a corridor, or on the street, or virtually, especially when under pressure.

The conversations and reflection we can have together and that allow us to connect with the ‘felt sense’, is so much more impactful than someone telling us what our purpose is. When leaders (I use the term ‘leader’ lightly here, as we are all leaders in our lives and work, don’t wait from someone else to tell you that you are now a ‘leader’) are aligned with their purpose and having the conversations to enable others to align to a purpose, shifts in engagement, motivation and performance, and in resilience can occur. Similarly, teams experience higher psychological safety, stronger loyalty, and greater well-being. Retention an commitment improves. Focus sharpens. People move from “managing tasks” to feeling deeply invested in outcomes for their teams, organisations and communities.

And yet, in many organisations fewer people and teams than you might expect are truly clear on the purpose guiding their role and the responsibilities of their role.

This becomes even more evident in a VUCA world. Amid volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, those in leadership roles often feel pressured to accelerate decisions and keep pace with constant change. But paradoxically, the faster the world moves, the more an individual or team needs their leader to slow down, recalibrate, and re-anchor them in, and on purpose.

Purpose is not a slogan. Purpose is a stabilising force. And neuroscience gives us the reason why.

The neuroscience of purpose shows our brains are naturally driven to seek meaning, shaping our behaviour, emotions and overall well-being.

Our nervous systems evolved to respond to immediate, local danger. Today, instead, we carry the suffering of the world on our shoulders and in our pockets! When threat signals never turn off, the brain does what it must to survive: it becomes anxious, reactive, withdrawn or exhausted. This is not a moral failure. It is biology.

The question, then, is not “How do I stay positive?” It is “How do I stay human?”

A key part of this process involves neurotransmitters, hormones and neuromodulators like dopamine, which strengthens behaviours that align with our goals and values. When we engage in purposeful activities that are meaningful for us, dopamine increases, creating feelings of anticipation and reward that motivate us to continue. That’s of course why so many people are addicted to endlessly scrolling on social media, because algorithms are sending us items that feel meaningful for us based on our previous searches.

Connecting everyday tasks to positive long-term outcomes for ourselves, our teams, our communities provides ongoing activation of the amygdala’s reward pathways. This steady reinforcement is far more powerful for motivation than relying solely on external incentives.

A lot of us are frustrated and confused with decisions being made by our leaders, local and global. Creating a better world does not begin with grand gestures. It begins with regulated nervous systems, clear values, moral imagination and small, consistent acts of care and courage. History is shaped not only by those who shout the loudest, but by those who remain steady, connected and principled during periods of transition.

If this resonates, take a moment to consider your own purpose as a leader, as a parent, as a friend, as a colleague. What’s guiding you right now? I’d love to hear your thoughts, or feel free to reach out if you’d like the PERFORM purpose reflection tool. Having provided this to many of my coaching clients and teams, I have seen focus and clarity transpire and develop.