Defining Career Purpose

Are you measuring what matters in your organization? A comprehensive measure of organizational effectiveness includes much more than profit margins and growth rates. The market and media often celebrate companies that show rapid financial growth or high profitability, leading to a cultural bias towards these metrics as signs of success BUT the tide is slowly turning- more businesses are recognizing the long-term value of a holistic approach to effectiveness and success. Many more businesses are embracing the concept of the "Triple Bottom Line," which measures success not just by financial profit ("Profit"), but also by the company's impact on people ("People") and the planet ("Planet"). HOWEVER 🚨 There is more work to be done! The prioritization of non-financial elements of organizational success can get pushed aside when financial pressures hit or quick results are valued. You have probably heard the phrase "What gets measured gets managed". This is generally true. Quantifying and measuring non-financial aspects of effectiveness, such as employee well-being, social impact, and workplace culture, is hugely important but remains challenging. 💡 Here's some straightforward steps to move you towards a more holistic approach to measuring success: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬: Define what holistic success means for your organization. This could include specific targets related to employee well-being, social impact, and environmental sustainability. 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: Talk to employees, customers, and community members to understand what aspects of your business matter most to them. Their insights can help shape your holistic success framework. 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬: Based on your goals and stakeholder feedback, pick metrics that are meaningful and manageable. For example, employee satisfaction can be measured through regular surveys, while environmental impact can be tracked through energy consumption or waste reduction metrics. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: Look into established frameworks (like GRI or B Corp standards for sustainability; Gallups Q12 Engagement Survey for employee engagement or the Denison Organizational Culture Model to measure workplace culture). There are existing frameworks for most known elements of organizational effectiveness so it's just a matter of looking into them. 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: Ensure that these holistic metrics are part of regular business reviews and decision-making processes, not just side projects. 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲: Share your progress openly, including both successes and areas for improvement. Transparency builds trust and credibility. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Be prepared to adapt and refine your approach as you learn what works and what doesn't. This is a journey, not a one-time task. #organizationaleffectiveness #measurewhatmatters #leaders

A single green slice. That’s what many perceive teaching to be—a singular act of educating. Yet, the spectrum of a teacher’s role is as diverse and vibrant as a kaleidoscope. This image captures the essence of teaching, extending far beyond the conventional definition. It’s a multitude of roles, a symphony of tasks that together create the educational experience. 🔹 Teachers are mentors, guiding students through the complexities of learning and life. 🔹 They are the emotional backbone for students, offering support and encouragement. 🔹 As planners and organizers, they craft engaging lessons and orchestrate school events. 🔹 They evaluate progress with a keen eye, ensuring every child achieves their potential. 🔹 Classroom management is their stage direction, creating environments where learning thrives. 🔹 Communicating with parents, they bridge the gap between home and school. 🔹 Through their dedication, lessons become more than information—they are life skills. Each role they play is a vital thread in the tapestry of education. As we step into a new year, let’s take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate the profound complexity of teaching. Let’s give teachers the recognition they deserve, not only as educators but as pillars of our society. To every teacher out there, know that your work is seen, valued, and profoundly appreciated. You do so much more than teach—you inspire, you guide, and you care. And for that, we are all grateful. #Teaching #Education #TeacherAppreciation #UnsungHeroes #EducationalLeadership

You hit every KPI. But did anything actually get better? Solving the wrong problem perfectly is still failure. So is solving the right one - without knowing how you’ll measure it. Let’s say a digital health platform launches: 🔹Sleek interface 🔹User numbers climbing 🔹Dashboards full of green ticks But two months later... 🔹Patients are still confused 🔹Clinicians are frustrated 🔹Data isn’t flowing across systems 🔹Helpdesk tickets pile up The dashboard says success... but the outcomes show otherwise. In digital health, success is often defined too narrowly: 🔸The platform went live 🔸KPIs were ticked 🔸Stakeholders celebrated But if patients still struggle, providers still burn out, and workflows remain broken - was it really a success? The truth is, different players define success differently: 🔹Patients want clarity and trust 🔹Clinicians want support in context 🔹IT wants performance 🔹Leadership wants results 🔹Funders want scale And that misalignment is where failure often begins. We don’t just need SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals. We need SMART goals for healthcare, ones that reflect complexity, context, and care. Because what gets measured, gets built. And if we define success in terms of speed and scale, we risk delivering fast but shallow. A better way would be to define success through multiple lenses Systems Thinking 🔸What ripple effects will this change create? 🔸Will it reinforce or undermine other parts of care delivery? Design Thinking 🔸Does this make life better for the people using it? 🔸Does it work in context, not just on paper? Interoperability Thinking 🔸Will it integrate across teams and platforms - or just add noise? How does SMART Goals for healthcare looks like? ✨S – Shared & Specific Is the goal clear and aligned across patients, providers, and implementers? ✨M – Meaningful & Measurable Does it tie to real improvement - not just activity? ✨A – Aligned & Achievable Is it grounded in actual clinical workflows and capacity? ✨R – Relevant & Responsible Is it equity-conscious, ethically sound, and system-aware? ✨T – Time-bound & Tracked Is it tracked across the care journey - with feedback loops, not just endpoints? What this looks like in action: 🔹30% reduction in medication errors across 3 facilities in 6 months 🔹15% improvement in post-discharge follow-up for elderly patients using an interoperable care platform 🔹Measurable reduction in care team workload without sacrificing continuity or quality Not: 🔸Number of logins 🔸Lines of code shipped 🔸How fast we deployed When goals are shared, meaningful, and grounded in real care, 🔸Teams stay focused 🔸Results are credible 🔸Patients feel the difference Define success. Measure what matters. That’s how we make digital health actually work. What’s one thing you believe we should start measuring - but rarely do in digital health today? #HumanCenteredDesign #SystemsThinking #Interoperability

🥅 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬. You’re told to make them SMART, but rarely to make them meaningful. SMART goals help you define what you’ll achieve and how you’ll measure success. But they don’t always help you understand why it matters. When I work with my team members, I always ask them to add three simple words... 𝐒𝐨 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧... 🟢 “I’ll complete my data storytelling certification... so I can... influence business decisions with confidence.” 🟢 “I’ll mentor two new analysts... so I can... help grow the next generation of leaders.” 🟢 “I’ll explore practical AI tools for my role... so I can... spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on creative problem-solving.” Those words change goals from being deliverables into impact. They bring clarity to your motivation and remind you that growth is about utility and purpose. And if you don’t hit your goal, ask yourself if it was truly meaningful in the first place. Often career goals get deprioritised because something urgent comes up or new opportunities get presented. When your career goals connect to your purpose, you don’t just do more, you become more. 💡 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥? Share your tips in the comments below. #CareerGrowth #GrowthMindset #CareerDevelopment #Leadership #PurposeDrivenLeadership #LinkedInNewsAustralia

After 30 years of leading teams and learning from mentors, I’ve realized this. AI may be the greatest assistant education has ever had. But the role of a teacher as guide, mentor, and character-shaper is irreplaceable. Today, students turn to AI before raising a hand. Young professionals check with AI before asking a mentor. It makes me wonder → is technology quietly taking over the role of teachers? Learning is a combination of hard skills and life skills. AI can help develop the brain but a teacher can help mould your personality. AI can explain concepts with infinite patience. It can personalize learning. It can even be available at midnight when no one else is. But here’s what AI cannot do: ✓ Give courage when failure feels permanent ✓ Put a hand on your shoulders and say "𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶." ✓ Teach humility when success comes too soon ✓ Show empathy in the silence when words aren’t enough Teachers, in classrooms and far beyond them, shape more than knowledge. They shape who we become. On this Teachers’ Day, I pause with gratitude for those who taught me: ✓ how to succeed without arrogance, ✓ lead with empathy, ✓ and live with purpose. Who has been a teacher in your life, beyond the classroom? PS: Some lessons come from teachers with chalk and blackboards.

Most people think leadership is about power. Dr. R Balasubramaniam turned that idea upside down. “Power is useless without purpose. And purpose is meaningless without pain.” That line hasn’t left me since we spoke. Here’s a man who could have chosen a comfortable career in medicine. Instead, he walked into tribal forests, lived there for 25 years, built institutions from scratch, fought the state as an activist, and now reforms the state from the inside as part of India’s Capacity Building Commission. What I learnt from him is simple, but not easy: ⇢ Careers aren’t ladders. They’re evolutions of passion into purpose. ⇢ Leadership is spiritual — it starts with knowing yourself and your dharma. ⇢ Rules restrict. Roles empower. Stop hiding behind process. Step into service. ⇢ Purpose beyond yourself is the only purpose that truly grows you. As India dreams of 2047, the question is not just what governments or institutions will do. It’s what each of us will choose: Will we keep clocking in and out? Or will we shape something that matters? I left this conversation less like a podcast host, more like a student. And I hope when you read/listen, you feel the same mirror turning towards you. My question to you: When was the last time your work felt like dharma, not just duty? #CareerShifts #Leadership #FutureOfWork

At Indus Training and Research Institute, one of the most powerful aspects of teacher training that we do is guiding teachers to discover their why - the deeper purpose that drives their teaching. Teaching is more than delivering content; it is an act of shaping minds, fostering curiosity, and nurturing perspectives. But to do this effectively, teachers need to reflect on why they teach in the first place. They need to ask questions like: Why does this subject matter? Why should children learn it? What kind of impact do they want their teaching to have? What’s the deeper motive behind teaching a concept? Finding these answers requires deep introspection and often, unlearning. Many teachers enter the profession thinking their job is to "cover the syllabus" or "prepare students for exams." But when they take the time to reflect, they realize that education is far more than content delivery. It’s about the values and ideas they want to instill, the curiosity they want to spark, and the lasting impressions they want to leave. Let me give the example of a biology teacher in our program. As she engaged in this reflective process, she uncovered her deeper why: sustainability. She wanted to create a world where all life forms could thrive, and she saw biology as the key to inspiring that mindset in students. This realization transformed the way she approached her teaching. Sustainability became the hidden curriculum in her lessons. Her assignments encouraged students to think critically about ecological balance, biodiversity, and conservation. Classroom discussions went beyond definitions and formulas; they became conversations about responsibility, ethics, and human impact on the environment. And the most remarkable part? Her students felt it. When she submitted her students' work as evidence, I could see her teaching philosophy being reflected. They began to look at the world through the lens of sustainability. They questioned how human actions affected different ecosystems, discussed ways to reduce waste, and even initiated small sustainability projects. What started as a teacher’s why became a ripple effect, influencing how her students saw their role in the world. In my last post, I talked about Social-Emotional Learning. Often, SEL is associated with subjects like language, humanities, or special programs. But here’s an example of how a science teacher is doing SEL. It's the hidden curriculum. Every teacher is an SEL teacher. When teachers find their why, they don’t just teach subjects - they shape mindsets. Education is never just about what we teach. It’s about why we teach. And when teachers discover their deeper why, the impact lasts far beyond the classroom! #education #sustainability #biology #sel #priyankeducator

Pay gets them through the door. But it won't make them stay. When employees feel their work matters, everything changes. They’re more engaged, more motivated, and less likely to burn out. Yet, too many organisations miss this connection. And it shows. - Mental health is taking a hit Mental health issues account for 12.7% of all sickness absences in the UK. - Support exists, but many miss out 75% of UK employers offer mental health support. But only 45% of employees feel their mental health is a priority. Over half don’t know what support is available. - The cost is huge Poor mental health costs UK employers £56 billion a year. But investing in well-being improves productivity and reduces absenteeism. The solution starts with purposeful work. ✅ Engagement and motivation When people believe in what they do, they show up with more energy and focus. ✅ Job satisfaction Purpose-driven employees report higher job satisfaction and are more likely to stay long-term. ✅ Stress resilience Feeling connected to meaningful work reduces burnout and builds resilience. This resonates with me personally. As a mental fitness advocate, my work at Plumm allows me to combine my passion for well-being with my love for working with people. Whether it’s helping businesses create healthier workplaces or supporting HR leaders in improving team performance. I go the extra mile because I know the impact it makes. Seeing teams thrive, knowing I’ve played a part, is what makes my role so meaningful. How does your organisation help employees find purpose in their work?

✨Burnout Series: Post 1 – The real causes of burnout & what you can do about it The common narrative around burnout is that it happens when people work too hard or for too long. But research tells a different story. A staggering 80% of burnout is actually caused by disengagement - a lack of fulfillment in the work we do, not the number of hours we work. What really drains energy is not the time spent working, but the misalignment between the work itself and what energises us. When employees spend too much time on tasks that feel meaningless or disconnected from their personal values and strengths, burnout creeps in. The energy drainers: what’s really causing burnout in your team? Energy drainers can be: 🪫Tasks that feel repetitive and don't challenge or excite. 🪫Meetings that take time but don’t add value. 🪫People who may be negative or don't share a sense of collaboration and purpose. When people spend too much time on these energy-draining activities, burnout accelerates. The solution is to help your team shift their focus towards what energises them, work that feels purposeful and aligns with their strengths. 💡 Practical Step: At your next One2One meeting, introduce a “fulfillment check-in". You can ask "What part of your work energises you the most, and how can we help you do more of it?" Use this feedback to identify opportunities for realignment. You don’t need to completely overhaul roles; even small adjustments like shifting responsibilities, reassigning tasks, or fine-tuning meeting structures, can significantly enhance engagement and reduce burnout. Focusing on what energises your team can create a ripple effect that leads to higher productivity and morale. 👉 Do you think a fulfillment check-in could help your team feel more engaged? How do you approach these conversations with your team? Share your thoughts in the comments! #leadership #culture #burnout #highperformance

EdTech raised billions in India, but there’s a blind spot worth noticing. My first-grade teacher, Rubero Ma'am, taught me cursive handwriting. Even today, when someone compliments my handwriting, I think of her. I did my doctorate at King's College London, studying the teaching profession, who enters it, why they enter it, and what society thinks of them. Only a very small percentage of students aspire to become teachers today. The EdTech wave led children to spend hours with screens without teachers. When that hype decreased, children became fatigued with the kind of learning that didn’t offer them real attention. A student wrote a letter to her primary teacher: "I will always remember you as the teacher who carried the little girl and danced her heart out during the field trip. The one who stood up for me when none of my classmates wanted anything to do with me. I had the strength to walk into school every day because I knew my class teacher had my back." No platform can ever replicate such care. The more technology we have, the more teachers we need. AI will make teaching aspirational again, not by replacing teachers, but by taking away the tedious administrative work that has been the biggest deterrent for young people entering the profession. Free a teacher from that, and what remains is the purest part of the job. Being with children, connecting with them, and helping them grow. The future needs better conditions for the teachers we have, and a reason for the best young minds to want to become one. Who was the one teacher who changed something for you?