Part 2: Purpose Drift Is Killing Your Team’s Momentum | Buy-In Series with Dave Garrison

Ever feel like your team is checking boxes but missing the point? 

If people on your team are asking “why are we doing this again?”, you’re likely facing a silent killer of culture and momentum: purpose drift. In this episode, Dave Garrison returns to unpack how organizations unintentionally disconnect from their deeper purpose and how to fix it before it costs you your people, productivity, and performance.

In Part 2 of the Buy-In Blockers Takeover Series, George Bryant welcomes back leadership expert and bestselling author Dave Garrison to tackle one of the biggest hidden challenges in business: purpose drift. 

When teams lose connection to the “why” behind their work, even the best strategies can fall flat. Dave breaks down how to identify when purpose drift is creeping in, why it’s so dangerous, and the simple tools leaders can use to bring purpose back to the forefront.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What “purpose drift” is and how it quietly erodes team performance.
• How to reconnect your team to purpose in just 3 questions.
• Why purpose must be co-created, not just declared.
• The subtle signs of disengagement and how to respond.
• The power of modeling purpose in daily decisions.
   

Key Takeaways:
✔️Purpose drift happens when people lose sight of the “why” behind their work.
✔️Co-creating purpose drives deeper engagement than top-down declarations.
✔️Purpose must be repeated and modeled daily to stay alive.
✔️Ask: “How is our work making a difference?” to bring clarity and buy-in.
✔️Use 4-6 word phrases to clarify your company’s living, breathing purpose.
 

Timestamps & Highlights:
[00:00] – Intro to Part 2: Facing the “purpose drift” blocker
[01:28] – What buy-in really looks like and why it’s rare
[03:00] – Four major blockers to buy-in explained
[04:00] – Defining purpose drift and how it shows up in teams
[06:00] – Signs your team has disconnected from the bigger picture
[08:00] – The cost of unclear or forgotten purpose
[09:30] – The power of co-creating and repeating compelling purpose
[10:45] – 3 powerful questions to ask your team
[12:08] – Outro from George + how to get Dave’s resources
 

Connect with Dave Garrison:
Book: The Buy-In Advantage
Website:GarrisonGrowth.com
LinkedIn: Dave Garrison
Email: engage@garrisongrowth.com
 

Your Challenge This Week:
Shoot Dave a message on LinkedIn with the words “Leadership Sprint” and your podcast takeaway to get free access to a special training!

• Reflect with your team using Dave’s 3 questions and start the conversation around your living purpose.
• Share your biggest insight from this episode on Instagram and tag @itsgeorgebryant for a chance to be featured.

Join The Alliance – The Relationship Beats Algorithms™ community for entrepreneurs who scale with trust and connection.
 

Apply for 1:1 Coaching – Ready to lead with clarity and culture? Let’s build your business from the inside out.
 

Live Retreats – Get in the room where transformation and momentum happen. See all upcoming events at  mindofgeorge.com/retreat