Discovering and Utilizing Purpose for Alignment
How can one discover purpose and use it for daily alignment in companies by Dr. Katrin Hinzdorf, Dipl.-Psychologist & certified individual and team coach
What is the meaning of purpose and what does it entail? The contribution we are willing to make beyond ourselves is an innate psychological need that keeps us emotionally motivated. This need is the basis for Simon Sinek’s definition of purpose. Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle” divides purpose into three levels: The “WHAT” (What do we do?) The “HOW” (How do we do it?) The “WHY” (Why do we do what we do?) Furthermore, a distinction is made between the company-WHY and the personal-WHY.
Why is the “WHY” so important for founders, and how does Katrin work with them? Katrin’s observations have shown that many founders decide to establish and run a company out of a simple idea or courage. As companies grow and their revenues increase, founders inevitably have to take on more responsibility. In light of this increased responsibility (e.g., growing number of employees or investors), many founders begin to orient themselves outward (= adapting to circumstances) and thus lose their inner alignment. At this point, many founders have lost something and forget why they are doing what they are doing. To solve this problem, a discovery process is undertaken to find the “WHY,” and in the next step, the rediscovered purpose is aligned with daily life/the company.
How do people develop? Frederic Laloux has studied how people and organizations develop and can shape work. With each stage, complexity can be better understood. Each stage has also achieved new breakthroughs. The simplified representation is divided into five different organizational paradigms according to Laloux. Starting from the red circle, where power and authority are concentrated in one person, to the outermost teal circle, namely self-management, wholeness, and purpose as keywords (“Key Breakthroughs” from inside to outside): 1 “RED”: division of labor, command authority 2 “AMBER”: formal roles (stable & scalable hierarchies), stable & replicable processes 3 “ORANGE”: innovation, accountability, meritocracy 4 “GREEN”: empowerment, egalitarian management, stakeholder model 5 “TEAL”: self-management, wholeness, evolutionary purpose
Based on Ken Wilber, the aforementioned individual areas can be examined more closely in a 4-perspective model. Katrin applies this model to better and more comprehensively explain Frederic Laloux’s organizational paradigms. Additionally, this 4-perspective model is used as a foundation for Katrin’s future work with clients.
How long has Katrin been working as an independent coach? Katrin first encountered coaching in Aarau, Switzerland, when she realized after her doctorate on leadership training that these knowledge structures were not sustainable. Katrin has now been self-employed for 15 years and has worked with clients in corporations such as BMW or Siemens, as well as school principals, ministries, and banks. For about 5 years, Katrin’s main focus has been on supporting individual founders as well as team and multi-founders. Coaching is a very confidential process.