Letters from leaders

To me, ‘Performance Meets Purpose’ means living and working according to your purpose – so you can do what you love, and do it exceptionally.

As a trail runner, I look at every challenge like a mountain. There will be tough times, where we need to inspire each other and collaborate, and times when we must stop, rest, and reflect on how far we’ve come. But when we reach the top and breathe in the view of success – that is the definition of performance meets purpose.

When we keep our eyes on our purpose, we know the ‘why’ of every move we make. We’re connected to our reason to be. And when we put this ‘why’ into action we truly start living authentically, because we’re driven by our values and passions. It’s infectious too – performance with purpose inspires others to live the same way.

So maybe mountain trail running isn’t exactly the same as coming into work. But bringing the team together, towards one goal, helping each person work authentically to their purpose, creates this perfect feeling like standing on top of a mountain.

Through COVID, we’ve all had this huge mountain to climb. Our purpose at Kipling is to ‘Live Light’, and we’ve tried to exemplify that. Helping people lighten the load, taking a positive outlook, and from working together closely, through video calls into people’s lives, living rooms, cats, children… we’ve all become a little more vulnerable. Through the good and bad, we’ve learned to be more real, authentic, and human.

This transformational process will sharpen how we communicate and break barriers together. Our purpose seems clearer than ever, and we must continue to live it every day.

There will always be mountains to climb. Working together, enjoying the view, and sharing the victory are what make it worthwhile!