After icebreakers and a bit of getting to know one another, we often ask in our leadership sessions, “What is your Why?”

Some of you must be thinking, “My “why” what?!?”

It does seem like a strange question to ask before someone tells you what they are doing. The question goes beyond the activity in front of us and gets to the essence of who we are and what is important to us. 

I was at an FCC seminar once. They told a story about a medieval reporter (I am already amused!) who asked three men working together what they were doing. The first said, “I am building a wall.” The second said, “ I am building a parapet.” The third said, “I am building a cathedral where people will worship for centuries…” Which one of the three seemed to know his “why”?

We can often get lost in the everyday activities do. We write a report. We pull weeds. We drive a tractor. We do an interview. We cook a meal for the new mom down the road. Sometimes everything may feel like a task. But what is your why? Every once in a while, we need to remind ourselves of the bigger picture. We are analysing our current efforts to ensure wise decisions for our future success in our business. We are creating beauty for all to see. We are feeding our country and beyond. We are seeking to use our skills in the best way possible to bring joy to ourselves and to earn a living to support our family. We care about our community… 

On the AALP North American Study Tour, we had a woman come from the local Asian community centre in Kelowna. She was soft spoken and had an accent that we were not used to. She had many slides that showed a very large mixed community and many local politicians at celebrations for all sorts of reasons – people who graduated education courses, for the national festivals of all the different nations that come to the centre, for special events… if you didn’t know the politicians or the people, it was less engaging than some of the other presentations. And yet, we hit the jackpot when we asked, “Your community has been through some very tough times, and yet you celebrate a lot. Is there a reason?” And she replied, “Our children told us that they didn’t want to only think about the past. They wanted to celebrate and have a happy place to go. So we focus on that…” I would guess that her why was community, especially the young people, and bringing them joy. It changed the way some of us reflected on her presentation.

When you take a course like AALP or RCM, or one of our BUILD workshops, there are moments when you may wonder if all of the activities are worth it. Why am I doing this activity? What’s the point of going to this operation or hearing from this seasoned speaker? One of the most beautiful moments in a session is when people talk about their why: I care about my community. I want to do good for my industry. I want to be a better leader. I want my family to be proud. They are the deeper “why”. They are the joy behind what we do. 

I encourage you to lay the stone, to build the parapet… and to occasionally think about the “cathedral” you are building for centuries ahead of you. Know your why.

Peggy