What Is a Problem I Can Help Solve?

Why It Matters

By focusing on the problems you can solve for others, professionals and organizations can create more sustainable, fulfilling careers and drive higher impact outcomes.

Key Takeaways

• Start careers by identifying community needs, not personal passions.
• Purpose emerges from daily contributions, not a single grand mission.
• Shift interview focus from self‑promotion to how you help others.
• Viewing work as solving concrete problems boosts meaning and performance.
• Balancing self‑care with service maximizes sustainable impact for everyone.

Summary

In this episode of the Radical Sabbatical, host Kim Scott interviews Tom Raph, author of the upcoming book What’s the Point?. The conversation pivots around a critique of the conventional advice to “follow your passion” and instead proposes that meaningful work begins with identifying what the world—or one’s immediate community—needs.

Raph argues that purpose is built through daily, tangible contributions rather than a distant, grand‑scale mission. He urges job seekers and leaders to reframe interview questions from “What do you do?” to “Who do you help?” and to view roles as solving specific problems, whether laying bricks or building a cathedral. The discussion also highlights the importance of relationships at work and the necessity of self‑care as a foundation for sustainable service.

Key anecdotes illustrate the point: a daughter refusing to turn her love of the ocean into a career, an event‑planner claiming false passion, and post‑Great‑Fire London workers each seeing their tasks differently. Raph emphasizes that purpose can be a daily superpower when we recognize the impact of small actions and orient them outward.

For businesses, this mindset shift suggests hiring for problem‑solving orientation, fostering collaborative cultures, and supporting employee well‑being. Individuals gain a practical framework for career navigation that reduces anxiety around “purpose” and aligns personal strengths with real‑world demand.

Original Description

While the podcast team is taking a Radical Sabbatical, Kim is interviewing authors of the books that have had a big impact on her in the past two years. In this episode she’s speaking with Tom Rath about his new book What’s The Point.

Graduation speeches are often filled with lofty advice for how to approach the upcoming transition from school to the real world–a topic that feels especially fraught at this moment of AI Anxiety. Speakers often urge newly minted graduates to “follow your passion.” But is that the best way to decide what type of work to focus on as a career? Perhaps a better approach is to figure out what the world needs and how you can best contribute.

Tom Rath stresses the importance of surveying the landscape and identifying the big problems the world is facing. Then, identify your skills and develop them so that you can help address the issues that concern you.

One fascinating point Tom makes is that 90% of people in the workforce fall into roughly 50 different occupations. However, most of us are only exposed to a handful of these 50, often only what their parents or parents’ friends do for a living. Wouldn’t it be better to give young adults exposure to a much wider range of careers before they pursue career goals? In fact, we could all benefit from this exposure. It’s never too late to change careers. Tom Rath’s CareerSight team brings together industry experts committed to helping people discover career possibilities and find purpose.

Background on Tom Rath: Tom is an author and researcher who studies how careers impact health and well-being. He has written 12 books that have sold more than 10 million copies and made hundreds of appearances on global bestseller lists.

Tom's first book, How Full Is Your Bucket?, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. His book StrengthFinder 2.0 was listed as Amazon's top-selling non-fiction book of all time. Tom's other bestsellers include Strengths Based Leadership, Wellbeing, Eat Move Sleep, and Are You Fully Charged? Tom is currently co-founder and CEO of CareerSight. He previously led Gallup's workplaces business and served as a Senior Scientist. Tom was also a Vice-Chair of the VHL cancer research organization. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, where he has also been a guest lecturer.

(Tom’s Bio) https://tomrath.org/about

(Tom’s latest book: What’s the Point?) https://tomrath.org/whats-the-point

(Tom on LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/trath/

(CareerSite) https://careersight.com/

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Introduction to Radical Sabbatical and Tom Rath's Book

(01:52) The Problem with Passion

(06:56) Purpose vs. Passion: Finding Meaning in Work

(11:22) Job, Career, and Calling: Understanding the Differences

(13:10) Shifting Focus: From What You Do to Who You Help

(21:28) Skepticism About Childhood Dreams and Career Paths

(24:29) Reevaluating Life Choices

(28:01) Exploring Career Options

(30:40) The Importance of Exploration

(33:02) Navigating Career Pressures

(34:40) The Evolution of Work

(39:57) Understanding Comparison Detox

(43:10) Finding Meaning in Daily Life