As the pace of life eases in these slow summer months, you may find a rare and valuable gift: space. With fewer meetings and a quieter inbox, this season offers an invitation to pause and ask a critical question that often gets neglected by people who are wired for action, achievement and accolades: What is your why? 

Cue the eye-rolling. Whether I am presenting to a corporate board, teaching a high school class on entrepreneurship, or worst of all, trying to share some earned wisdom with my own kids — when I bring up a favorite theme of mine: “what’s your why”, I am always met with either silent squirming or derision mixed with dread. People are happy to talk about the circumstances of their lives, but when you ask them to describe their life’s purpose, paralysis often ensues.

“What's your why” is a question that asks: What is your deeper reason or purpose for doing what you do? It’s not about your title, your background, your life circumstances, or your personal or professional experiences or goals — these are the what and the how of your life. Your “why” is about meaning and motivation. It’s the inner driver that fuels your decisions, gives you energy, and sustains you throughout life. In the brand business, it’s equivalent to a term we often use to help businesses define their purpose and positioning: “your north star.”

And just like most businesses, which are great at answering the what and how questions of their products or services or people, when confronted with the intimate and personal “why” question, most are either uncomfortable or ill-equipped to address it.

In more specific and personal terms, your "why" might be:

A personal mission: "I want to empower others to succeed."

A core value: "I believe in fairness and want to build more equitable systems."

A lived experience: "I struggled growing up, and now I help others avoid that pain."

A bigger vision: "I believe the world needs more connection, and my work helps create it."

“Why” In Business and Leadership

Knowing your “why” helps you lead with clarity and authenticity. It shapes how you communicate, what you prioritize, and why others trust you. When your personal why aligns with your organization’s purpose, it creates powerful momentum. When it doesn’t, work can feel off-track, unmotivated, or disconnected.

The phrase was popularized by author and speaker Simon Sinek, especially in his TED Talk

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and book Start With Why, both now aging classics, where he argues that "People don’t buy what you do — they buy why you do it."

While organizations flourish through a well-articulated business and brand purpose, it is the personal conviction of the people behind that purpose — the intimate, heartfelt reason for doing the work — that truly drives meaningful impact.

Great brands are built on more than market share and metrics — they are powered by belief. And belief begins with you. When your personal values and vision align with your business’s mission, it creates clarity, confidence, and resonance. This alignment fuels more than your strategy—it fuels your leadership. It energizes teams, attracts loyal customers, and inspires trust.

This reflection echoes a timeless truth captured in the final lines of William Ernest Henley’s poem Invictus, which speaks powerfully to the necessity of self-awareness and personal conviction:

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

These words are a rallying cry for any leader: knowing your “why” equips you to weather storms, make bold decisions, and stay grounded in moments of uncertainty. Being the “captain of your soul” requires clarity about what drives you.

This same idea also finds expression in the words of Maya Angelou, whose poetry has guided generations in finding purpose and strength within themselves. In “Still I Rise,” she writes:

“Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.”

This refrain reminds us: your why is not only yours—it’s built from everything that shaped you. It’s your story, your purpose, your power. Knowing it —and living it — gives you the resilience to rise again and again, no matter the challenges life throws at us.
How to discover (or re-evaluate) your why?

Here are four actionable steps to help you reflect on and identify your personal why, and map those insights to your business’s purpose and mission:

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1. Reflect Deeply: Begin with honest introspection. Dedicate time to think about the moments in your career and life that have defined you. Ask yourself questions like, “What inspires me?” “What ideas animate my thinking and my life?” and “When have I felt most fulfilled?” Journaling these reflections can be a good exercise in clarity.

2. Identify Core Values: List the values and principles that guide your biggest decisions. These might include creativity, empathy, integrity, or boldness. Once you’ve clarified them, explore how they show up — or don’t — in your business. These are the building blocks of alignment.

3. Gather Feedback: Talk with trusted peers, mentors, or a coach. Ask them when they’ve seen you most energized or impactful. Sometimes others can spot the threads of your why more easily than you can from the inside.

4. Map Your Insights: Compare your personal “why” with your company’s purpose and mission. Where are they in sync? Where do they diverge? This map will help you either double down on alignment — or identify where change is needed.

And what if you discover that your personal why no longer fits the professional path you're on? That can be a sobering realization — but it’s also a liberating one. It may mean reimagining your role, reshaping your company’s direction, or even stepping into a new life chapter that better reflects who you are today. Growth often begins at the point of discomfort. And as Maya Angelou suggested, “rising” begins with knowing who you are — and standing tall in that truth.