Finding Your Why
A Guide for Emerging Leaders Seeking Purpose and Avoiding Burnout
Have you ever felt adrift in the whirlwind of deadlines, meetings, and endless to-dos? You’re not alone. Emerging leaders often pour their hearts into their roles, only to discover that the passion that drove them forward has faded leaving burnout and self-doubt in its wake. Purpose can be the compass that steadies you.
Why Purpose Matters for Burnout Prevention
When work becomes purely transactional with task stacked upon task without deeper meaning, exhaustion follows. Adopting a clear sense of why you lead:
Anchors you in moments of uncertainty
Guides your decisions when options overwhelm
Fuels resilience during high-pressure seasons
Reconnecting with purpose isn’t a luxury; it’s the most strategic move you can make to sustain energy and impact.
Four Philosophical Lenses on Purpose
1. Existentialism: You Write Your Own Story
Life has no preset script. Every choice you make sculpts your identity and mission. Embrace the freedom and responsibility to define what matters most.
2. Nihilism: Meaning Is a Human Construct
At its core, life lacks an objective “purpose.” That can feel unsettling… or liberating.
Once you accept that meaning isn’t handed to you, you gain full creative license to invent a why that energizes you.
3. Logotherapy (Viktor Frankl): Purpose Through Adversity
Frankl discovered that when we suffer, we find hidden reservoirs of meaning.
Your toughest challenges can reveal purpose anchors if you choose the lens through which you view them.
4. Virtue Ethics (Aristotle): Flourishing via Character
Aristotle taught that living in alignment with virtues of courage, temperance, generosity leads to eudaimonia, or human flourishing.
Identifying the traits you value most can illuminate your leadership purpose.
Our Story as a Guide to our Why
Have you ever been in situation where you notice that one person who can calm a chaotic scene down? One where people are upset at one another, and that one person somehow manages to bring everyone back together? And it wasn’t anyone in any kind of hierarchial position, like a dad or a teacher, or boss? That was me as a child. When I was around one group of cousins where we were all similar in age, there was one who typically kicked off at the group, wanting to control what everyone did. When the others kicked back, she would storm off in a mood. That’s when my role kicked in. I recall behaving this way from as young as around seven years old, where I was in the middle, the others being eother older or younger than me. I would seek out the cousin in a mood; listen to what wasnt ok for them, acknowledge what was tough, and then be by their side as we walked back to the group. I would then ask the others to accept we can all be different and get along.
As a coach I help leaders grow through finding their voice. They develop the skills to speak up in rooms they have been avoiding. They work on what it means to be vulnerable and take a risk in order to progress in life. They learn about emotions and feelings and how to respond rather than react. Through all of this, the leader in them matures, developing humilty where, as a professional adult we learn to be ok with sometimes being wrong, and more than this, we learn how to push back when someone or something else is wrong.
A client recently asked me how did I find coaching. My answer, coaching found me. This is how powerful my why is. Now, I could not do anything else in life, for helping people in the way that I can has become my prupose.
A Four-Step Framework to Rediscover Your Why
Reflect on Peak Moments
What achievement or connection made you feel most alive?
Jot down any themes: creativity, collaboration, innovation.
Clarify Your Core Values
List the 3–5 principles you’d defend under pressure.
Ask: Which value violations trigger frustration or fatigue?
Experiment with Small Commitments
Launch a micro-project or volunteer initiative tied to your values.
Notice which tasks replenish versus drain your energy.
Revisit and Refine
Schedule quarterly check-ins with yourself.
Adjust your why as you grow for purpose is a living story, not a one-and-done exercise.
Embedding Purpose into Your Daily Leadership
Begin team meetings by resurfacing the shared mission.
Use your why as a filter for new projects. If it doesn’t align, pause before you commit.
Celebrate small wins that reinforce purpose. Recognition keeps focus on what truly matters.
Rediscovering purpose isn’t a solo sprint, it’s an ongoing journey. As you sharpen your why, you’ll unlock greater resilience, clarity, and fulfillment.
What one value will you champion this week to steer you back on course?
I’d love to hear how you’re weaving purpose into your leadership. Hit reply and let me know.
To your thriving,
Lorraine