Stirring Purpose Into Every Shift: Lessons from the GNEX CRTA Stage
Last week at the GNEX CRTA conference, I stood in front of resort industry leaders and shared what I believe to be one of the most powerful differentiators in all business: purpose. In a world that demands faster, cheaper, more, purpose is the compass that keeps us grounded, relevant, and resilient. Drawn from my book Meatballs & Mindset: Recipes for a Positive Life, my message was simple: performance without purpose is a hollow meal—rich in technique, but poor in soul.
Purpose isn’t a buzzword. It’s not something you plaster on your website and forget about. It’s what seasons how you lead, serve, and respond under pressure. The stories I shared—from my daughter, Devynn’s, timely reminder “Dad, you’re Jim Madrid,” after being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, to the power of Sunday dinners in shaping identity—aren’t just nostalgic tales. They are truth carriers about how purpose can light every shift, every interaction, and every moment of adversity.
Why Purpose Matters in Hospitality and Timeshare
In the resort and hospitality world, guests don’t just remember the amenities—they remember how they felt. Purpose gives those feelings meaning. That’s especially true in timeshare and resort sales, where connection, service, and trust are currency.
At the GNEX conference, I built the session around these central ideas:
- Clarify your Purpose vs. passion vs. productivity.
- Understand how purpose fuels performance, resilience, and satisfaction.
- Reconnect daily work with a deeper mission.
- Translate values into team energy.
- Tools for realignment during adversity.
Building Your Purpose-Driven Shift
Here are some practical steps for leaders and teams in resort industries to embed purpose into daily operations:
- Ask deeper questions.
- Surface shared values.
- Tell stories.
- Embed purpose in micro-habits.
- Reconnect at adversity points.
Why the Table Still Matters
In Meatballs & Mindset, I use the symbolism of the table—family meals, shared plates, conversations—to show how presence, listening, and love are foundational. Just as a beautifully cooked meal brings people together, a purpose-driven team does the same in their sphere of influence.
In resort operations, the “table” might be a concierge desk, a sales floor, a service call, or a staff breakroom. Wherever it is, that’s where life happens. That’s where purpose is spoken through action. At GNEX, my hope was to remind every attendee that every meal they serve, conversation they have, and guest touchpoint they design is a chance to serve legacy, purpose, and heart.
A Personal Disclaimer
Over the last few years, the phrase “find your why” has become a popular rallying cry. But here’s my truth: I don’t wake up every morning with my “why.” I wake up every morning with purpose. Why can feel abstract, distant, and even trendy. Purpose is immediate. It’s tangible. It’s a decision to show up, to serve, and to live with intention. Purpose is what carried me through my own health battles. It’s what sustains leaders, teams, and organizations when the grind gets heavy.
Purpose, not why, is the ingredient that turns a job into a calling, a task into a legacy, and a workplace into a community.
Jim Madrid is the author of Meatballs & Mindset: Recipes for a Positive Life, Managing Partner of Madrid Partners, Founder of Advance Sports Technology, and Executive Director of the Goodness Beyond Self Foundation. A less than 1% survivor of both Stage 4 pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancer, Jim’s story is one of resilience, faith, and the transformative power of mindset.
