Scaling with Purpose Kit: Purpose-Led Leadership in Times of Crisis

**SPEAKER_1** (0:03)
The Bliss Business Podcast, the show about empathy, connection, and consciousness in business. Today's episode is brought to you by Zero Company, your paid search, social media, and programmatic ad experts.

**Stephen Scash** (0:17)
Welcome back to The Bliss Business Podcast series, Scaling with Purpose. I'm Stephen Scash here with Tulio Saragusa. Hey, Tulio.

**Tulio Saragusa** (0:26)
Hello.

**Stephen Scash** (0:27)
So this is our 10-minute podcast series where we explore how to embed purpose into every level of your organization. Today's episode is all about purpose-led leadership in times of crisis. We'll discuss how leaders can maintain alignment with their purpose during challenging times and why crises can actually be opportunities to demonstrate purpose. So let's get started. So when we think of crisis, you might think economic downturn, public relations challenge, global pandemic, but it can even be something small with a team or even just your individual job. We've all had those moments, right? So this is when organizations and individuals can find themselves at a crossroads. Do you stick to the purpose or do you compromise it to weather the storm? The truth is these are the moments where purpose truly shines. I definitely agree with that.
Sometimes you just don't know what the right thing to do is. And I often say, A, do the loving thing. But yeah, what's your company's purpose?

**Tulio Saragusa** (1:39)
It's often been said that trial produces endurance. So crisis is really a test. It's testing an organization's commitment. To its purpose. And any organization that's committed to a purpose will go through these tests. It's inevitable. It will happen. So it's easy to talk about purpose when things are going well. Things, everything's in alignment. Everybody's happy. But when there's a crisis, the purpose becomes, is it a guiding light? Or is it something you just kind of will deal with that when things get back to normal?
So and this is the real test, right? So leaders can be guided by the purpose to make really difficult decisions. They can rally their entire teams when they're guided by purpose. And they can show their stakeholders that they're committed to standing on what they stand for. So it's a trial, but it's also an opportunity to really come out of it shining, as you had mentioned, brightly or brighter for being committed to something greater than than just making profits.

**Stephen Scash** (2:53)
Yeah, I like that trial.

**Tulio Saragusa** (2:54)
People reward that. People feel good about that and get rewarded for that.

**Stephen Scash** (2:58)
I like I want to underline that point, trial, but also an opportunity. So yes, think of it as an opportunity if you can. So let's start exploring why purpose is so important during a crisis. Tulio, what are some of the things that come to mind here?

**Tulio Saragusa** (3:12)
Well, first, it really provides clarity, right? When a crisis happened or on certain times, this is where it's very easy for leaders and teams to feel very overwhelmed by competing priorities or shifting circumstances. So in those moments, like what do we do, right? So when you use your purpose as your North Star, then it's not as challenging. You're not as conflicted because it's clear. This is our North Star. There's no what do we do. We know what we need to do to stay on point with our North Star. So that really becomes a clear framework for making decisions. You know, if you had a boss that wanted things a certain way, and if you didn't do it that way, it could cost you your job, right? And you're motivated to do things that way, whether you like it or not, right?
So, in essence, the purpose becomes the new boss, right? And that boss wants things done a certain way. But this isn't a tyrant. This is actually a really nice boss and a light boss that rewards you for fulfilling that purpose. So that's really important is to stick with those. And then second, that purpose, when you stick with it, even in difficult times, builds trust. When leaders stay true to their purpose, they demonstrate integrity, consistency, and this strengthens the trust with employees, customers, and stakeholders. So it is truly an opportunity to rise above and show that you have backbone. And people reward that with trust, with intimacy. So use that North Star and stick with it because it will reward you even in difficult times.

**Stephen Scash** (5:05)
Yeah, that's true. And I'll add a third area here. Purpose inspires resilience. So when people feel connected to a higher purpose, they're more likely to stay motivated and focused even in the face of adversity. And so it just reminds everyone of the why behind their work, which can be incredibly powerful and even grounding during these chaotic times. So Tulio, how can leaders practice purpose-led leadership during a crisis?