Step towards your purpose
Barbra Carlisle • April 16, 2025
Time is ticking, you want to do something with more impact
Tom left a business where he had excelled as a leader and influencer for over a decade, where opportunities were still knocking at his door. He didn’t get head hunted, he didn’t get disillusioned, he loved his team, he was stimulated daily.
So why?
To follow a passion that he had had for many years, to invent an e scooter that meets the needs of people with mobility challenges.
What do you need within you and around you to take that step into the unknown?
To leave a stable job to follow your purpose might sound like something reserved for mavericks or those with a financial cushion. But more and more leaders in the UK are doing just that—and not because it’s easy, but because they know they have more to offer the world.
The Evidence
According to research by the CIPD (2023), over 1 in 5 UK professionals are actively considering a career change, with “lack of meaning” cited as one of the top three drivers. And among senior leaders, this pull toward purpose is even stronger, especially post-pandemic.
The British Academy’s “Future of the Corporation” programme argues that business purpose beyond profit isn’t just good ethics—it’s good strategy.
Purpose-led companies in the UK are outperforming their peers in
- employee retention,
- customer loyalty, and
- innovation (PwC, 2021).
It may not make everyone stay but it is certainly going to help people feel aligned with their employer.
The Transition Tension
When I work with clients at this kind of crossroads, the question they often wrestle with isn’t just “What am I about to do! am I crazy? Will it work?”. They tend to be of the opinion – “If I don’t do it now I will never do it”. And it is here that I will always ask them about their gut feeling on the issue. Knowing your internal voice.
Inside each of us, there’s often a quiet negotiation happening. One part of you wants to hold on to what’s known—what’s safe (we call this your Guardian voice). Another part (perhaps the Nurturer voice) is whispering about what really matters to society and the people affected. And then there’s the bolder voice, the Pioneer, ready to look well into the future and strategize how to get there. The challenge is not choosing one over the other—but recognising and aligning these internal drivers/voices so you can lead from wholeness, not restlessness.
When I coach, I help leaders map these differences early. To identify what their key drivers are, and how their personality preferences can aid / limit them from doing something different to what they have done before.
Next step
Following your purpose takes structure, not just passion. It’s about aligning your internal compass, building external scaffolding, and learning how to lead yourself before you lead others. Thinking about your next chapter? Give me a call and we can talk about your next step together. book here https://zcal.co/barbracarlisle/30min
Explore insights on leadership, passion, build in 'Turning Passion Projects into Sustainable Organisations'.
Managing Founder Transition in Purpose-Led Organisations
