What Happens When You Stop to Ask Why?

A lot gets written about purpose these days. It's one of those words we throw around without really thinking about what it means. But I've been asked "why I set up on my own" quite a few times this year. And honestly? It's made me dig deeper than I expected to.

Here's what I learned when I stopped giving the polished elevator pitch and started being honest about the journey.

It Started with Running Away

At the beginning, I wasn't running towards anything. I was running away from:

• Corporate games that felt pointless

• Being controlled rather than trusted

• Lack of fairness (you know the kind)

• The same old, same old

• Feeling the need to be busy rather than useful

• Unhealthy habits I'd picked up along the way

• Pretending to be someone I wasn't

• Doing what others wanted of me, rather than what I was actually good at

Nothing revolutionary there. Classic "escape from corporate" story, right?

Then I Started Running Towards Something

As the dust settled, I began to see what I actually wanted:

• Control over my days

• Time to think (properly think)

• Autonomy to make decisions

• Working with people I genuinely like

• Focus on the things that give me energy

• A sense of adventure - permission to try new things

• The ability to do healthy things (like ride my bike more 🚴)

• Just... being me

Still pretty self-focused though, wasn't it?

The Question That Changed Everything

Then I asked myself: What would a life like that actually make me feel?

Five things came up:

1. Fairness

2. Authenticity

3. Connection

4. Resilience

5. Adventure

That started to give me something that felt like purpose:

"Live a healthy life where I can balance my need for autonomy and authenticity - and help others grow through deep connection, curiosity, and reflection."

All well and good. Job done, right?

Wrong.

The Uncomfortable Realisation

That purpose statement was still all about me. What about the work? What about the people I'm meant to be serving? How do I create value that actually matters to others whilst staying true to what I need for a healthy life?

I had to get honest about what I'm actually good at:

• Working with leaders to help them find their potential

• Solving problems that keep organisations stuck

• Building deep connections across industries, over time

• Developing talent that's ready for what's next

• Helping people navigate career transitions successfully

• Unsticking things...

Unsticking Things?

That last one caught my attention. What did I mean by "unsticking things"? I think it happens at three levels:

Individuals who feel stuck and want a different future

Teams that are stuck in patterns and need intervention to create new behaviours

Organisations that are stuck and need to rethink how they grow the leaders, talent, and capability to succeed

There it was. The bridge between my personal purpose and the work that matters.

Where Purpose Meets Practice

So here's how I think about it now:

"Taggart People exists to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with people, teams, and organisations who are stuck, and help them connect to a better future, together."

That sounds like a life and business I could lead for the next phase.

That sounds like me. That gives me purpose.

A Question for You

If you're leading through complexity right now - feeling stuck between where you are and where you want to be - what would it look like to have someone walk shoulder-to-shoulder with you as you figure out what's next?

I work with leaders and teams who are ready to get unstuck. If that's you, let's talk.