Think about what drew you in to your current company. Was it the potential to make an impact on improving human life? Maybe it was to develop a new cutting-edge human therapeutic, drug, or treatment that could potentially cure a disease?

Purpose is what fuels your job satisfaction and really addresses the “why” you are doing something. As employees leave their job for better opportunities, a big part of it points to a loss of purpose. A workforce driven by a strong sense of purpose is the key ingredient to success and employee engagement and retention.

As an executive recruiter, I discuss with dozens of candidates a day as to what drives and motivates them. I hear a lot about passion, impact, and above all—purpose. People want to feel like their work matters and has meaning. When a game changing or industry disrupting technology comes to light, the excitement around making a global impact is a major driving force for many when deciding to work for a particular organization.

Purpose is “the reason for which something is done or created, or for which something exists.” This could be centered around a person or a company with a unique mission or vision and a set of values aligned with that. Purpose is the true ambition to make a real difference in the world, or a strong desire to benefit society.

According to Harvard Business Review, two-thirds of those surveyed stated that a higher purpose would motivate them to go the extra mile in their jobs. Furthermore, 15% would take a pay cut just to work for an organization that had an inspiring purpose. On the other side of the coin, an organization with nothing but people working for a paycheck will suffer in employee turnover.

In other words, you are certainly more than just a paycheck, and when you feel you’ve gone on autopilot, it’s important to get back on track. Even though purpose may sometimes seem diluted out over time, those who have known or felt deep purpose can find it again.

Do you ever feel like a fish in the ocean, or a very small piece of the puzzle? You may think to yourself at some point in your career, “Surely the work that I am doing daily doesn’t really matter all that much—it seems to just get lost in all the noise.”  The good news is that purpose is tied to changing attitude and perspective, so it is indeed possible to bring it back into your work life.

Purpose is created on various levels
Purpose is built and molded from where you are today, right now. In fact, a clear purpose defines goals and daily actions to follow, which give you a feeling of satisfaction that your work matters.

Just as a research story or project builds on itself and becomes clearer over time, purpose can also be built in the same way. Having a clear sense of purpose allows you to focus, deliver results, and strive to do more.

In some instances, the work done by a bench scientist at a biopharma company and the true measurable impact he or she has on the bottom line may not be all that clear. For example, a life-changing drug can take over ten years to hit the market. And repetitive work can seem like it has little to no value—even uninspiring. Employees want to feel connected to the final outcomes that their work contributes to!

For example, a 2015 study in Harvard Business Review demonstrated how an accounting firm and executive leadership team articulated and fostered higher purpose by inspiring confidence, empowering change, and enabling employees to experience it firsthand for themselves. This completely turned the company around, and the way the employees viewed and felt about the company.

Seventy-six percent of those surveyed said their jobs had special meaning, which was six points higher than the average of other large company counterparts. Because of this change in perception, year-to-date turnover also decreased from 9% down to 5%. This goes to show that purpose should never be overlooked, and plays a direct role on employee morale, motivation, and job satisfaction.

Define what purpose means to you
Perhaps your purpose is tied to one major thing, but for many, it is a mixture of elements. Your purpose may depend on the quality of the relationships or your sense of belonging at work. Or it is based on innovation, as your company is pioneering and leading the way for a new technology that can potentially change people’s lives forever.

Certain ‘truths’ behind an embedded organizational purpose need to be widely communicated, aligned, and internalized on a deeper level. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen or the ‘message’ seems to get watered down along the way. Even when purpose is not entirely clear, in order to truly understand and mold your purpose, it needs to start at the ground level with some self-reflection.

Steps to regaining a sense of purpose
Purpose starts by realizing that it is not just one thing you find at work, or even in your personal life, that will bring meaning. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” By shifting your perspective, this opens doors to achieve a greater sense of purpose, focusing on the now, and not having to necessarily change what you’re currently doing. Purpose and defining whether something is “worth it” depends largely on your attitude and outlook.

A good way to kick things off with building your purpose in your present organization is to focus on your current strengths. You are more likely to feel appreciated and satisfied with your work when you leverage your strengths to advance a mission or vision forward. The more you utilize your strengths, the more your confidence will increase, which leads to more purpose.

Next, look at a given time period, perhaps the last two weeks, and try to become more self-aware by jotting down notes of when you feel most passionate and driven, and what you were doing specifically at that time. What were those particular things that you enjoyed the most, and how did it align with your company’s initiatives and goals?

Don’t be afraid to start small, as the misconception is that purpose has to be some earth-shattering thing. From there, set and implement smaller goals—ones that can be achieved in a reasonable timeframe, and that ideally match up to your strengths and what truly motivates you. 

As you put your finger on what gives you a sense of purpose, find more ways to open these doors and capitalize on feeling more purpose. Is there a key aspect of what your organization is doing that truly inspires you? Can you hone in or refine parts of your role to make greater contributions for your team or organization?

Just as you look for new job growth opportunities, you should also look for purpose-driven opportunities that expand your horizons—perhaps outside of the office. Sometimes we feel trapped in a bubble as our view of purpose might be limited, and you need to see it in a different light.

For example, let’s say you are a senior scientist in the lab leading novel synthesis of a drug or formulation. The issue however, is that you feel very close to the science but the end result or connection seems missing, which is the direct impact on patients’ lives.

As I worked for a large biopharma company prior to my recruitment days, I often would visit researchers and clinicians first hand to discuss their research needs, and would bring an R&D scientist and technical expert from my company along to include in the discussion.

As someone in product development, I learned how newly created research tools and reagents were solving a unique scientific research problem. Additionally, the senior scientist saw firsthand the performance and direct impact of what she developed was having in the field.

This created a sense of pride, allowed us to see the bigger picture, and bridged the gap of bench science with real world experience and impact. Ultimately, this created a mutually beneficial and higher sense of purpose. 

Put your work into context
Your work may be defined as a task, or the ‘nitty gritty’ as a part of your job or for others. Your career is what you do for yourself, driven by opportunities for growth and advancement. A calling is often tied to a higher purpose, where you feel a deep alignment or emotional connection to your work.

The fact of the matter is, you can find and build on purpose in any of these three work contexts as they are all intertwined, going from the smaller to the bigger picture.

As you deeply self-reflect on your daily work and how it  ‘moves the needle’ in your organization, you will develop an appreciation and have a clearer understanding of your sense of purpose. You’ll also realize how your responsibilities and job duties play an integral part to the business and its big picture success and purpose.

Finally, as you continue to grow and evolve, you will find new ways to discover, build, and mold your own purpose, and define what it means to move from job, to career, to calling.