Transforming Teams with the Power of Purpose

“There is tremendous power in purpose.” - Jill Donahue

Watching people transform through her workshops inspires Jill Donahue every day. Getting a front-row seat to their vulnerability and experiences is a privilege Donahue, who runs Power of Purpose  workshops to help people discover their ‘why’, doesn’t take lightly. 

“At first, so many of my workshop attendees are unsure of their ‘why’,” says Donahue. “Beyond the most obvious necessities like feeding their families, they are at a loss for their deeper purpose in life.”

But the research is clear: people who connect with their purpose do a better job and go home happier, Donahue points out.  And teams that are purpose-driven outperform others.

“They are more collaborative, creative, resilient, and motivated. You want to work with them.”

But how do you get to that understanding? That’s where Donahue and her team at Excellerate come in. Donahue found the meaning in her pharma work after watching her father die from a prescribing error. “I wondered what would have happened if my dad’s doctor had been better engaged to know the right product, for the right time, and for the right patient,” she says. 

Donahue used that experience to fuel her research, speaking, and writing, authoring three books to day. Her purpose has become sharing what learned about how to be more engaged and more engaging with her peers.  

“The bottom line? There is tremendous power in purpose,” says Donahue. “But it takes effort.”

Donahue and her team have created a journey called the “The Power of Purpose” to help teams in life science companies connect with and live their purpose, helping them discover how to find meaning in their work.

A crucial element of this work is a session in which team members share their stories with their peers. “These sessions are filled with joy and heartfelt conversations, as people finally connect through a shared sense of meaning,” Donahue says. “They connect their personal purpose with their role purpose with their organizational purpose and indeed, magic happens.”

The result is an extraordinary impact on group trust, creativity, energy, collaboration and retention that purpose-driven teams enjoy.

“It’s really transformational for them and I love seeing the impact this new mindset will have on their ability to better serve health care professionals, their companies, and most importantly patients.”
Enjoy a taste of purpose for yourself by downloading a free copy of Donahue’s latest book A Dose of Inspiration: 100 Purpose Stories of Pharma Leaders.