Welcome to The Purpose Turn
A weekly invitation to redefine success and align your life and career with what truly matters.
On paper, my life looked great.
My parents were proud. I had moved from consulting, to a Ph.D., to becoming a professor. I’d built a career, taught at top business schools, and advised leaders around the world.
And yet — I found myself standing in front of a class of success-hungry MBA students asking: Is this it?
I soon realized I wasn’t alone. Many leaders who had climbed the ladder, checked every box, and earned the rewards were quietly going through the motions.
That moment — when success stops being enough — is what I call The Purpose Turn.
Why I’m starting The Purpose Turn now.
For the past decade, I’ve studied and worked with leadership and purpose. Along the way, I’ve taught at Harvard, Stanford, and IE Business School, and coached executives navigating midlife crossroads.
Here’s the simple truth I’ve learned: success can get you far, but only purpose sustains you.
And yet, we still hear more about how to be successful than how to succeed at the right thing.
Add to this a pandemic, declining trust in leaders and organizations, and what cognitive scientist John Vervaeke calls “the Meaning Crisis” — and it’s clear why so many of us are searching for more than milestones. We’re searching for meaning.
This newsletter is my way of contributing to that search. I’ll share the tools, stories, and research that have helped leaders (and myself) navigate their own Purpose Turn.
What you’ll find here each week.
Stories from leaders (and my own journey) who’ve faced this shift.
Evidence-based insights from psychology, leadership, and design thinking.
Practical tools you can try in minutes to reconnect with what matters.
Think of it as a weekly reflection + action step — concise, actionable, and rooted in real experience.
Why this matters for you.
Because this isn’t just about career moves. It’s about rediscovering what makes life worth living.
If you’ve ever thought, “I should feel happier with all I’ve achieved” — this is for you.
Subscribe, share it with a friend at a similar crossroads, and let’s explore what happens when success is no longer enough.
– Ingo