Having a purpose and a positive impact

I’d like to think I’ve always had a purpose and that purpose was ‘to be brave and kind’.

I’ve taken opportunities when presented or more often than not created them, stepped out of my comfort zone to learn and grow and said yes more than I’ve said no to new experiences. I’ve been a servant leader who puts her people first, ensuring they can bring their whole selves to work and that they all have an equal opportunity to flourish and reach their potential.

Taking the decision last year to leave a corporate career after 25 years is one of the bravest things I’ve ever done, but the opportunity to be kind on a far greater scale and have a positive impact on the lives of millions of young people who might not have had the opportunities and support I’ve had, was too compelling.

So I’m currently supporting a new not for profit social impact initiative called Mission Beyond and our mission is to connect and scale the rich but fragmented plethora of programmes, people and organisations already supporting disadvantaged young adults into jobs and career progression. We’re building an integrated digital platform to connect the thousands of specific solutions, based on equity of access and delivered in a personalised end to end experience.

And why are we doing it? To ensure that everyone has the best possible opportunity to reach and fulfil their potential in life.

Mission Beyond is led by an Impact Group who have purpose at the very centre of their beings and a relentless desire to make the world a better and more inclusive place. I’m part of the Impact Group and working with an amazing team from Red Badger who are passionate about using their skills and knowledge in user centric design and rapid execution to have the biggest impact as quickly as possible.

And every day I’m meeting more and more inspiring purpose led individuals who want their programme to be part of the ecosystem or who work within organisations looking to maximise the diversity of their workforce or who just give their time and experience freely because they believe that together we will have a far greater positive impact than anyone can have alone.

So my advice is have a purpose and then find a way of having the greatest positive impact you can with it.