A moment to connect with your sense of purpose in your work

Every once in awhile I ask myself why I do what I do for work. What's a political science PhD, a recipient of the top fellowships, who taught at Wellesley and has a book out on leadership and change in post-communist Eastern Europe doing helping talented people make their next career moves, or become more effective or creative in their current roles?

I do love this work. And I feel priveleged to be privy to the inner struggles of really smart and creative people figuring out how to develop their gifts and talents and to take on challenging projects.

But every so often I, like many of the people I work with, have to remind myself of the reasons and reconnect with my passion and purpose.

So here's my thinking.

Back when I was teaching at Wellesley and Berkeley, I offered guidance to my students not just by imparting knowledge or provoking them to think critically, but in helping them live up to their potential and make difficult choices about their paths as emerging leaders. I liked that helping-them-with-life part more in the end than directing them to good resources on peace-keeping or conflict prevention, for example. And I bet it is that guidance about the difficult choices about their careers, between practicality and passion, that they remember years later. For many of us, work is so central to who we are as human beings; how we gain satisfaction and joy; how we express our unique contributions; how we learn. It is about making a living, but it is even more about making a life.

Second, one of the most important trends of this turbulent time is the move of some of our best and brightest away from finance, and away from focusing primarily on economic gain and status and towards work with social purpose, either in government, in greening businesses, in social entrepreneurship or non-profit work. Helping those people find a place to contribute their smarts and creativity (what sometimes is blandly called talent management) is hugely important for our future as a nation. We are in a moment of incredible opportunity, if only we take it -- to throw a lot more firepower and innovative energy towards our most pressing social challenges.

For these reasons alone, I feel my choices, and my difficult career transition, was worth it. I can have real impact on peoples' lives, as a catalyst and thinking partner. And of course, I can make a living in the process.

What would you do if you weren't worried about the challenges of starting in a new field?

What is a step you can take towards aligning your work with you sense of purpose?

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?