Purpose Meets Performance: The Option’s Approach to Meaningful Leverage in Real Estate

When McKinsey & Company released its report on workplace purpose, one statistic stood out like a bright light on a cloudy day: nearly two-thirds of U.S. employees have reexamined their life purpose since the COVID-19 pandemic, and about half are reconsidering their career paths (Choudhury & Spaulding, 2021).

At its core, the research underscored a fundamental truth, people want more than a paycheck. They want purpose.

The Purpose Gap

The study revealed something striking: while 70% of employees define their sense of purpose through work, only 15% of frontline employees feel that same sense of purpose day-to-day, compared to 85% of executives. That’s a massive “purpose gap.”  One that impacts not just morale, but also productivity, retention, and overall well-being.

McKinsey found that when people feel purposeful at work, they’re:

• More productive
  
• Healthier and more resilient
  
• More likely to stay loyal to their company

Purpose isn’t a buzzword, it’s a performance driver.

The Option: Building Purpose Through Partnership

At The Option, purpose is not an abstract concept. It’s built into our model of leverage, collaboration, and growth.

Our platform empowers transaction coordinators, virtual assistants, and real estate professionals to find meaning in their work by connecting their daily tasks to something larger: helping others achieve life-changing goals through real estate.

When a TC helps an agent close a transaction efficiently, it’s not just paperwork — it’s the key to a client’s first home, a seller’s new chapter, or a family’s relocation dream. That connection to impact transforms “tasks” into “purpose.”

Bridging the Purpose Gap: How We Do It

McKinsey’s report emphasizes that organizations can close the purpose gap by:

1. Coaching managers to model purpose.
    At The Option, our leaders and partner managers practice reflective leadership, they don’t just assign tasks; they coach, mentor, and connect work to outcomes.
   
   
2. Facilitating team conversations about meaning.
   Our partner meetings, retreats, and coaching sessions go beyond numbers — we talk about why we do what we do, not just what we do.
   
   
3. Integrating purpose into daily work.
   Each service — whether contract-to-close, marketing support, or operations leverage — is designed to give professionals more time to focus on relationships, creativity, and growth, rather than administrative overload.
   
   

Small, consistent practices like weekly wins check-ins, purpose journaling, and team storytelling make our culture one of engagement, not exhaustion.

Purpose as a Business Strategy

For many agents and TC companies partnering with The Option, purpose has become a competitive advantage. When your systems are clear, your team is supported, and your work is aligned with what truly matters you don’t just perform better, you lead better.

The Option’s approach to organizational leverage aligns perfectly with McKinsey’s insights: purpose isn’t found at the top, it's built from within.

McKinsey’s research reminds us that finding meaning at work isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity for long-term success. The Option’s mission is to help professionals rediscover that purpose through systems, structure, and support that let them focus on what really matters.

Because when your work is organized, your purpose has room to grow.