We all want purpose, but we sometime confuse that all-important goal with “occupation.” To Dean, the two are very different, but they can be combined — no matter what your job is. In today’s post, Dean helps you differentiate purpose from occupation, and provides direct tips on how to find both at the same time.
To learn more about finding your purpose and applying it to your occupation, check out our BE-it program.
We all want a sense of purpose in our work and in our lives. We want what we do to feel meaningful, connected, and impactful. But most professionals confuse purpose with occupation. Your job title is not your purpose. What you’re paid to do does not define the difference you make. Purpose is who you are, how you show up, and the impact you naturally create for others through your confident presence, your leadership communication, and the way people experience you.
Purpose shows up in your presence long before it shows up in your résumé. It appears in the moments when you support others, share clarity, guide conversations, influence decisions, or elevate someone’s thinking. This is why leadership presence coaching, AEC interview preparation, and executive presentation coaching are so powerful—they unlock the part of you that already creates value.
If you want clarity on your purpose, look at your patterns. Notice what you are always the one doing—especially in meetings, collaborative work, or high-stakes communication. Maybe you’re the one who asks the right questions. Maybe you translate complexity into clarity. Maybe you bring calm. Maybe you spark energy. That repeated behavior reveals your purpose, whether you’re in a shortlist interview training session, a business development meeting, or leading a project team.
Purpose is portable. It travels with you. It shows up in AEC interviews, in business development coaching conversations, in hybrid presentation skills sessions, and even in casual hallway interactions. Purpose is not something you find by switching jobs; it’s something you bring with you wherever you go.
My own purpose is to help people see something profound right in front of them—clarity, opportunity, a deeper connection—that they’ve overlooked. Whether I was working in filmmaking, guiding teams through AEC interview skills training, or coaching senior leaders on confident presence, the pattern has always been the same: I help people see differently so they can lead more powerfully.
That’s why presence coaching, sales pitch coaching, and group presentation coaching feel so aligned with who I am. These are moments where my purpose and my work intersect naturally. When you spot your own pattern, your career choices become clearer, and your confidence grows.
If you’re navigating your career inside an AEC firm or any professional services organization, look for roles that let your natural impact shine. And if you’re already in the right role, bring more of you into the work—your authenticity, your presence, your leadership voice.
Your purpose is not about fitting in; it’s about belonging. It’s about offering something meaningful that only you bring. And when you bring that purpose into your communication, your AEC presentations, your business development conversations, and your leadership presence, you elevate everyone around you—and strengthen your own path forward.
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