Leading through crisis with purpose

Jennie McLaughlin, Oceania Purpose Leader for EY, led the women on a discussion about purpose. This took two avenues - both personal and professional.

"In times of crisis, people reach for meaning. Meaning is strength. Our survival may depend on our seeking and finding it." - Victor Frankl

We always start our forums by sharing what position we are in - in terms of life, work, and everything in between. In 2020, with most of us sharing stories of difficulty in not being able to travel during COVID.

The nature of CFO roles can often mean living in a different place than loved ones, particularly elderly parents, which can take a tragic turn if you can't get back to help. Very sadly, this was the case for quite a few of us.

It takes 5-7 years on average for companies to embed Purpose from top to bottom – where is your company?

Jennie shared a number of stories from her experience where companies transformed their strategy by focusing on purpose, and/or where companies started with purpose at their core. We are big fans of Simon Sinek, and talked about his philosophy too.

The great leaders are not the strongest, they are the ones who are honest about their weaknesses. The great leaders are not the smartest; they are the ones who admit how much they don’t know. The great leaders can’t do everything; they are the ones who look to others to help them. Great leaders don’t see themselves as great; they see themselves as human. - Simon Sinek

We finished the call discussing how to activate your company's purpose through purpose pillars that bridge the gap between the purpose and future focused strategy.

Next topic is "Getting your house in order" around risk and people.