Vision, Passion, and Purpose: A View From the Middle

Today’s post by ML Hubbard* continues our Emerging Leaders series, featuring guest posts from young leaders in the workplace. Read, enjoy, and join the conversation!

As a Millennial in the workplace, I’ve approached the much-anticipated fork in the road, asking myself some of the common questions we all ask at various points in our careers: “What am I doing here? Am I making a difference? Does this line up with who I am?”

I work at a creative and energetic place. Every day is a revolving door of new partnerships, branding initiatives, product development, and continuous execution. One would think that in any given day that would be enough to stimulate and motivate a young professional to charge on and change the world.

However, I know that my being busy doesn’t necessarily mean I’m being productive. At the end of the day, I need to know I’m making a lasting impact by championing my organization’s vision and working with passion and purpose.

Vision

Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor of the State University of New York, says, “Vision trumps everything.” How true! Leaders must understand that the vision isn’t just for them; it’s for the people they lead.

As a young leader, I’ve learned that it’s not just up to top leaders in our organization to grow the vision. I have the ability to share our leader’s vision with my teammates so that they will jump on board and run with me, so we can run with the vision together.

Passion and Purpose

How do I know when I’m operating with passion and a purpose?  I wake up ready for my commute. I resonate with my work. I go to sleep at night knowing I stole the day!

And just like vision, it’s not just up to my CEO or president or anyone else to create a culture of passion and purpose. One of the most powerful elements of a healthy and growing environment is the groundswell created around those who lead from the middle.

To my fellow young leaders, if you find yourself in the middle, you have more influence than you think. Become a champion for your organization’s vision by working with passion and a purpose. And remember you don’t have to be at the top to make a difference. Take the opportunity to invest in the people you influence and advocate for colleagues who feel that they don’t have a voice.

Is your team living out your organization’s vision with passion and purpose from nine to five? The possibilities that stem from a clear vision and day filled with passion and purpose are endless, and the results will extend far beyond your office walls.

ML Hubbard is a thirtysomething creative working in resource management and operations. Her desire for leadership development stems from her college years of being involved with several leadership teams throughout school and work. This passon has only grown over the past few years as she’s had the opportunity to lead small teams. When not working, ML enjoys traveling, cooking, antiquing, and spending time cultivating relationships throughout her small urban community.

*If this is your first time to read an Emerging Leaders post, we want you to know that ML Hubbard is a real leader, but ML isn’t her real name. In an effort to allow our featured emerging leaders to blog about their own perspectives, challenges, and lessons learned, the guest bloggers in our Emerging Leaders series will blog under aliases in an effort to allow them to be as transparent as possible in sharing their real-life experiences.