Why do you keep doing what you do? What motivates you to lead your team, push forward with goals, or show up at work each day?
Maybe it’s to help other people, share innovative ideas, build a strong team, or get your product out into the world.
If your “why” comes to mind right away, you might already have your “big game.”
If not, you need to get one.
Here’s how to start.
What is a “Big Game?”
A big game is known by other names: mission statement, values statement, guiding principles, master plan, and many others.
The name doesn’t matter as much as the definition: your big game is your professional reason for being. It’s what you want to achieve and why.
Many notable companies have a clear big game:
- PayPal: “To build the web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution.”
- McDonald’s: “To make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone.”
- Microsoft: “A computer on every desk and in every home” (original 1980 mission).
- TED: “Spread ideas.”
These examples are all simple, clear statements of what the company focuses on and works towards.
Your big game is the same—it’s a singular point of focus that motivates, drives, and inspires your daily work.
If you lead a team or company, it may be aligned with the company’s mission, vision, or goals.
And if you’re a solopreneur, freelancer, or employee, your big game is more personal. But no matter what your role is, defining it will help you dial into your purpose and get more out of work.
Why Your Big Game Matters in 2022
Knowing and playing your big game matters, particularly in 2022 as the workplace continues to evolve rapidly.
It’s related to broad societal trends, affects the workplace itself, and has significant personal implications.
Having a big game matters on three levels:
- Macro level (society): 2021-2022 workplace trends such as remote work, “quiet quitting” and asynchronous work plus ever-changing values mean that there’s a huge emphasis today on finding the right job. Employees have more choices than ever, so it’s possible to find a job where you can follow your “big game.”
- Meso level (workplace): Clear goals and values will help a company or business do its best work. When each employee has a “why” to get out of bed and excel in their role, it’s a big win for the entire team.
- Micro level (individual): Knowing your big game will help you be more focused and productive for what really matters. You’ll be motivated to work hard and challenge yourself because you have a clear goal.
A big game provides the sense of purpose many of us are looking for in work. A big game helps you feel purposeful, aligned, and inspired at work.
How to Define Your Big Game
Let’s get practical and start defining your big game. Doing this is a way to rekindle the spark and fall back in love with work. So, it will take both time and effort to get there—be patient with the process!
There are two core elements to a big game statement: what you do and why you do it. Let’s look at both.
- What You Do
This may be the easier of the two to define as it’s a bit more practical. “What you do” is the essence of your job or role. It could be creating products, delivering services, coordinating logistics, communicating ideas, or anything else.
But this is more than your daily to-do list of tasks. Here are some guiding questions to help you brainstorm:
- Why were you hired specifically for this job? Or, what makes you uniquely positioned to do this work?
- What’s the difference between you and your competitors?
- How do you describe your work to someone who’s not in the industry?
- How do you go about your work?
- What are the skills, experiences, or knowledge you have to help you do this work?
- What problems in the marketplace are you solving?
- What are the main tasks and responsibilities you accomplish?
- What KPIs do you regularly meet?
- Why You Do It
Now you need to dig a bit deeper and determine why you do what you do. If the only answer is your paycheque, it might be time to re-evaluate! Ideally, your work has a “why” that’s deeply fulfilling and engaging.
Think through these prompts to uncover your why:
- What are your personal values? How do they show up in the work you do?
- What’s your favorite part of your work? What makes you most excited each day?
- Who are you helping or positively impacting through your work? How does that make you feel?
- What are you most proud of with your work?
- How does your workplace support your personal and professional goals?
- What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
After considering these questions, you can start to articulate your big game into a concise sentence. Follow this format:
“My big game is to [WHAT YOU DO] because [WHY YOU DO IT].”
Here are some examples:
- “My big game is to help my clients find their dream home within their budget because I love knowing it’ll be a place where they make lifelong memories with loved ones.”
- “My big game is to clearly communicate new research findings about organic food with the public because I want to empower people to live longer, healthier lives.”
- “My big game is to onboard employees to the company so they feel equipped and excited for the role because I know from personal experience how big of a difference that can make for their transition.”
Your options are endless. And, they’re personal. Only you can define your “big game.”
Once you have something written down, think about how this will change the way you work. Understand that urgent and important are not the same and start re-prioritizing your daily tasks and responsibilities. Two examples:
- If you identify your big game as onboarding employees in a way they feel equipped and excited, you may review the current processes at work to improve them.
- If you’re all about finding clients their dream homes within their price range, you may focus on some financial literacy work to help people make wise financial decisions when purchasing real estate.
Again, this is all up to you! Take the time to think through your big game and how it touches each part of your current work. It’s a great way to evaluate how you spend your time and re-prioritize it into what’s most important and impactful.
Defining your big game will help you tune in to what matters most in your professional life. Doing so will increase your engagement and productivity while giving you a compelling reason to keep up your work each day.
Join a professional network of like-minded people chasing their big game together and book a tour of The Post.