Finding Nemo and the power of Purpose

Developing individual and organisational purpose

What is the all-pervasive sway of purpose? The world just celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the?father of the Idea of India, and author of the quote:?‘Find Purpose, the means will follow’. Gandhi, himself an idea forever beyond his time that in part ignited others such as Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is the prime mover of the theory that Purpose can ignite the world, let alone oneself, another individual or entity. The International Day of Non-Violence too is observed on 2nd October to commemorate the Mahatma's birth on October 2, 1869. Gandhi fathered the idea of an India without limits, and every individual equal, responsible and empowered. What an idea sirji for our organisations too? -- If we were able to mobilise every member of our organisations as responsible, empowered, incentivised and purpose-driven, we would be truly limitless as a collective!

As oft quoted, ‘Bapu taught us to work hard with truth and perseverance to achieve our goals as a nation and individual self. He believed in a nation based on equality, free of any disparities based on religion or caste’.?He lived for this purpose and ultimately died for it. An epic?meme I thought was one I came across recently that shows Gandhi in dialogue with Martin Luther King, saying: "The odd thing about?assassins, Dr. King, is that they think?they've killed you."?Ultimately, Einstein's famous words on Gandhi ring out: "Generations to come will scarce believe?that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.” And thus, the legacy of the Mahatma's greatness defined in his purpose, still lives on. What lessons does the Mahatma have for us? One for sure is that we must have a purpose that goes beyond ourselves and is others-centric, embodied in the values and vision we set for ourselves and our organisations. The other is that purpose can potentially bind people, product, packaging and promotion, and can make for the inspired idea/glue to hold legacy into infinitum. Freedom is one such idea, which the Mahatma packaged rather powerfully into the purpose he professed. The question that begs therefore: How inspired is my purpose? What deep need does it fulfil that is exponentially beyond me?

We’ve all heard about Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’, where the pinnacle of human motivation is ‘self-actualisation’. This level of need refers to the realisation of one’s full potential and to become the most one can be. Before his death, however, Maslow attempted to update his famous pyramid of needs with ‘self-transcendence’ – the self only finds its actualisation in giving itself to some higher goal outside itself, in altruism and spirituality.

PURPOSE, MISSION, GOALS

A google?search on the quote ‘Find Purpose, the means will follow’?promptly throws up Dr. Piyush Mehta's comments on Purpose. For the Corporate worker?fixated on Vision, Mission and Goals, Purpose brings life to all. Dr. Mehta opines rightly: "Purpose is the?life driving statement. It is the intention and reason for the existence of 'Goals'.?Goal is something we strive for, have definite timeline and is measurable. Goals are means to achieve the Purpose.?Objectives are milestones in the journey towards goal.?Objectives are?narrow and specific."?

Dr. Mehta continues with a good example in offering clarity to these terms: “Purpose: Empower the human race by developing low cost,?autonomous electric car and preserve the earth.?Goal:?Develop sub $50k,?fully automatic car which is 10x safer than manual transmission along with sharing ecosystem by 2026.?Objective:?Release beta version by 2018 & next version by 2020."?

And?then carries on: "In an organisation parlance, purpose?is?termed as the Mission statement. Mission statements are generally practical in nature. They appeal to the?mind/head. A right mission statement should have vital purpose embedded in it.?Purpose brings vitality to the?mission statement. Purpose brings head and heart together in harmony. Purpose is reflective, humble, noble and connects back to the core. A well-done purpose, impels to make the required differences.?

"Based on my experience of number crunching and metrics trend study: the insights from KPI?go to the?next level, when you connect it to the 'Purpose'. It allows you to keep going even if it becomes mundane and boring. It forces you to challenge the status quo and?provides conviction to make the?positive change.?

“A well written mission?(with embedded purpose)?statement?naturally provides way for the meaningful vision statement. Vision statement is where an organization/ individual?wants to be in future. It defines the destination. The strategy provides the road map towards the destination?and 'purpose' is your dependable?friend in this journey.?Road map can be divided into various milestones termed as Goals.?Anytime you are lost in the journey, ‘purpose’ is?there?to guide you back to the right path."

Case in point is Amazon with its focus on the Customer: The mission and vision of Amazon.com is: "Our?vision?is to be earth's most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online". And success follows, or perhaps I'm just quoting a successful company! The power of Purpose though is undeniable in Amazon's?surviving and indeed thriving nearly 30 years later.?

And so goes the magic of Purpose.?But wait! Looks like Bapu knew something about Purpose in "Find Purpose, the means will follow" that we are only just discovering.?

START WITH WHY

Admittedly, Simon Sinek's book 'Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action' has taken the corporate world by storm, perhaps reiterating in plain-speak what great leaders have instinctively known. A commentary on his book goes: 'Think of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Or companies like Apple, Southwest Airlines, or Harley Davidson. These leaders and companies started movements. They have incredibly loyal followers and customers.?What is it that separates them from the rest? It’s that these leaders, products, and companies start with WHY'.?

Or in referring to Sinek’s favourite bias – Apple – why is it that we look forward to Apple announcements. A clue is in their Mission / Purpose statement:?“to bringing the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services.” And in a manifesto dated 2009 Tim Cook set the?vision?specified as “We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that's not changing.”

In essence, Sinek's ‘Start with Why’ summarises: "In order to inspire, invert the order. Start with WHY (purpose), then HOW (values and actions and differentiators), and then WHAT (products and results). To communicate authentically, you need to keep WHY, HOW, and WHAT in harmony. People only see the tangible evidence (WHAT), and if that is inconsistent with what you say your WHY is, you appear inauthentic."?

Thus, helping deify a mission beyond the What by starting with the WHY, Defining or diversifying the WHAT in keeping with the WHY, with the Discipline of the HOW - Sinek's Inside-Out Golden Circle of WHY-HOW-WHAT hits home!

PURPOSE HELPS POWER STRATEGY

HBR?in an article rethreaded this thought with research from 28 successful companies and their C-level executives?in the United States, Europe, and India—that had had an average compound annual growth rate of 30% or more in the previous five years?in the face of challenges of slowing growth and declining profitability, which?suggested that Purpose was placed at the core of Strategy, with two important defining?contributions: One, it helped companies to 'Redefine their Playing Field' and two, allowed them to 'Reshape their Value Proposition'.?

An example for the first in HBR is the Finnish oil-refining firm Neste, which for six decades operated a business focused almost entirely on crude oil, but by 2009 it was struggling. During the previous two years the company’s market value had shrunk by 50%. Their purpose, they decided, should be to develop sustainable sources of energy that would help reduce emissions, and everything they did would be guided by a simple idea: “Creating responsible choices every day.” Facing a plethora of headwinds, naysayers and doomsday predictors, the CEO and firm soldiered on. By 2015 Neste had established itself as the world’s largest producer of renewable fuels derived from waste and residues. A year later its comparable operating profits from renewables would surpass those of its oil-products business!

But much before Simon Sinek's romance with 'Why', Christian Pastor Rick Warren's book ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ published in 2002 surprisingly took the publishing world by storm and caught regular jay-walking me too in its wake (well don't get so uptight, there ain't too many well-defined pedestrian crossings in Mumbai).?The book offers readers a 40-day personal spiritual journey and presents what Warren says are God's five purposes for human life on Earth.?The book topped the?Wall Street Journal?best seller charts as well as?Publishers Weekly?charts, with over 18 million copies sold by 2008, and 32 million within its first decade, by 2012.?The Purpose Driven Life?was also on the?New York Times?Bestseller List for over 90 weeks.?According to both the author and publisher Simon & Schuster, 50 million copies had been sold in more than 85 languages by 2020. (Source: Wikipedia).?

All this to suggest, the world is hungry for purpose. But just how hungry is the soul?

HUNGRY FOR PURPOSE

Ephrat Livni, writer and reporter from Washington D.C., and quoted by New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink, writes that credible recent research showed up that people without a purpose were more than twice as likely to die than those with an aim and goals: A sense of purpose thus may keep us alive longer.?Purpose was a better predictor of longevity than gender, race, or education.?Purpose decreased risk of death more than drinking less, stopping smoking, or exercising regularly. Phew!

This recent study, published in May, was compiled by researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health who analysed data?from nearly 7,000 individuals over 50 years old and concluded that “stronger purpose in life was associated with decreased mortality.”?

PURPOSE FOR LEADERS AND THE WORKPLACE

A PwC study found that 79% of business leaders believe purpose is central to business success and drives innovation. Organisations that prioritize purpose and encourage employees to connect their work to larger mission tend to be more innovative. And innovation we know is the lifeline to keep organisations fresh both internally and in the marketplace.

Studies have shown that purpose-driven organizations tend to outperform their peers. A report by Deloitte University Press found that purpose-driven companies had higher levels of innovation and customer satisfaction.

According to a recent Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, only 15% of employees worldwide are engaged in their jobs. Lack of a clear sense of purpose is often cited as a major factor contributing to low employee engagement. And disengaged employees are likely to quit. A survey by LinkedIn found that 58% of professionals consider a sense of purpose to be important when evaluating job offers. Organisations with a strong sese of purpose are often more successful in attracting and retaining top talent. High turnover rates can be costly for organisations. According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the cost of replacing an employee can be 6-9 months of their salary. A sense of purpose can contribute to better mental health by providing individuals with a reason to find meaning and fulfilment in their work. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression, anxiety and burnout cost the global economy over $1 trillion per year in lost productivity, a statistic while global, is all too much in our face through people we personally know! A sense of purpose can contribute to better mental health by providing individuals with a reason to find meaning and fulfilment in their work.

SHOULD ONE DESPAIR IN FINDING NEMO?

Not needed! Notably, according to Livni, “the research indicates that any purpose is better than none, as the reason people felt purposeful didn’t figure into the analysis. So, it doesn’t seem to matter what it is that drives an individual, whether it’s a passion for growing peonies, say, or wanting to see their children develop, or loving the work they do. The important thing is simply having something that makes them excited about life and drives them.”

“But those who feel no sense of purpose now shouldn’t despair because that drive can be cultivated,” the study notes. “There are a number of interventions that have been developed with the goal of improving life purpose,” the researchers write. They point to previous analyses that have found volunteering, well-being therapy, meditation, and?mindfulness training?have all been shown?to cultivate a greater sense of purpose, improve quality of life, and influence physical health.”

PURPOSE AS PRIMARY MOTIVATOR

The story of Viktor Frankl?could be most pertinent here:?Viktor Emil Frankl, (born March 26, 1905, Vienna, Austria—died September 2, 1997, Vienna), Austrian psychiatrist and psychotherapist developed the psychological approach known as?logotherapy, widely recognized as the “third school” of?Viennese psychotherapy, after the “first school” of?Sigmund Freud?and the “second school” of Alfred Adler. The basis of Frankl’s theory was that the primary motivation of an individual is the search for meaning?in life and that the primary purpose of psychotherapy should be to help the individual find that meaning (Source: Britannica).?Viktor Frankl was a holocaust survivor, and this in many ways formed his work.?

In 1942 Frankl and his family were sent to the Theresienstadt?concentration camp, where his father perished. In 1944 the surviving Frankls were taken?to Auschwitz, where his mother and wife were both exterminated. As Frankl observed the brutality and degradation around him, he theorized that those inmates who had some meaning in their lives were more likely to survive; he himself tried to recreate the manuscript of a book he had been writing before his capture. (Source: Britannica)

Viktor Frankl wrote his bestselling 1946 book?Man's Search for Meaning?in nine days about his experiences in the camps.?Frankl worked as a therapist in the camps and wrote about two suicidal inmates there. Like many others in the camps, these two men were and at the end of their rope feeling there was nothing to live for. "In both cases," Frankl wrote, "it was a question of getting them to realize that life was still expecting something from them; something in the future was expected of them." For the scientist, it was a series of books that he needed to finish and for the other it was his young child, who was then living in a foreign country. Frankl wrote:?This uniqueness and singleness which distinguishes each individual and gives a meaning to his existence has a bearing on creative work as much as it does on human love. When the impossibility of replacing a person is realized, it allows the responsibility which a man has for his existence and its continuance to appear in all its magnitude. A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."

Frankl summarised: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances." Arlin Cuncic writes of Viktor Frankl: "This opinion was based on his experiences of suffering, and his attitude of finding meaning through the suffering. In this way, Frankl believed that when we can no longer change a situation, we are forced to change ourselves." In other words, if we cannot Change the Reality of our circumstances, we need to find reason to Adapt, until we can perhaps change Reality itself. Nelson Mandela kept his flame alive with wit, wisdom and humour for all of 27 years in prison, and for the cause of his comrades within and without, often rejecting the conditional freedoms offered.?

Livni continues in her piece on the stunning results the research?threw up: "Although there has been work done on purpose and longevity before, the latest findings surprised even the researchers who devised this latest study." Celeste Leigh Pearce, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan and a co-author of the paper,?says: “I approached this with a very sceptical eye.?I just find it so convincing that I’m developing a whole research program around it.”

Or, as in the case of Gandhi, the power of Purpose apart from prolonging life, lives beyond too.

PURPOSE @ WORK, PLAY & LIVING

Samantha Todd writes in a?Forbes?piece from July 2019: Having a sense of purpose at work can make us feel as though what we do matters, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The sense of meaning that workers derive from purposeful work translates into elevated levels of engagement. At a time when just?34% of employees say they’re engaged?at work and?lack of engagement costs U.S. companies?an estimated $500 billion annually, purpose would appear to be a business imperative. “Organizations are seeing the economic benefits and people are seeing the personal benefits,” Lotardo,?a vice president at leadership development consulting firm McLeod & More?says. “Collectively, the world is moving toward a sense of purpose.”?

There are lessons too in the recent decline of Forever 21 and the rise and rise of Greta Thunberg. Forever 21 captivated a whole generation of millennials to its celebrity-like wares, producing quick, cheap and dirty, and enticing all the other over 21s to ‘forever aspire to be 21’. But that trick seems to have been lost on Generation Z–kids currently in school and college – who do not look to conform, look the same or follow trends. Instead, they seem to be searching their own, making it difficult for brands to keep track or produce fast enough, and importantly this Gen seems to be pursuing meaning too. Thomai Serdari, a fashion-branding strategist and marketing professor at New York University, quoted in?The Atlantic, says: “A big difference with Generation Z is that they’re not all trying to look the same.”??

The piece in?The Atlantic?continues: “A desire for individuality isn’t the only thing driving young people away from mall retailers,” according to Serdari. “We have a new generation that is more sophisticated in the sense that they are more interested in what they’re consuming,” she says. “They have strong convictions about what they should be wearing and the ethical and authenticity aspects of it, and transparency in terms of manufacturing—especially the ones that are really concerned about climate change.” She pointed to Greta Thunberg and the success of her recent student climate protests as an indicator of what Gen-Z is willing to do in order to stand up for their beliefs.?For some young consumers, those beliefs mean eschewing fast fashion—a business?shot through?with ethical, environmental, and human-rights problems—in favour of buying clothes second-hand.”?

In the final analysis, people want to live long, find meaning to living, and want to live happy. Should that be so difficult for corporates and individuals alike to figure in crafting a purpose statement??

FINDING PURPOSE AND EMPOWERING IT

A purpose that inspires and ignites a spark often addresses a need towards greater social good. Dr. Myles Monroe, in his rather practical book, ‘In Pursuit of Purpose: The Key to Personal Fulfillment’, outlines what would help in discovering your purpose. Ask yourself the following questions:

a.???? What are my passions and interests?

b.???? What am I good at?

c.???? What do I enjoy doing?

d.???? What problems can I solve?

e.???? What impact do I want to have on the world?

The greatest change is felt in coaching SMEs craft their individual and corporate Mission-Purpose statements, when I see the before and after of their energy levels. From seeming drudgery, I see a spark ignited, a sustained reason to be and to do. And meaning or the ‘why’ easily and readily communicated to involve those around, in creating together or the inspiration to link any sale to a felt need and meaning thereto. There is a sustained and often magical force when Purpose precedes the Doing. ‘Have Purpose, Can Dream, Will Do’.

For an individual, finding purpose could often start with perceiving a need around them and in being moved to do something about it. For a corporate, it is about a body collective addressing a collective need. Either way, it is about finding meaning that inspires action.?

For Gandhi, he saw the injustice and discrimination of what was around him when as a young lawyer, in what was later to develop as apartheid South Africa, he was thrown out of a train. He purposed to do something about it. Look where it landed him as his purpose evolved over the next years and he captured the imagination of a disparate India fractured by tongue, religion, caste, creed, poverty and exploitation to an idea of unity, equality, empowerment, responsibility and freedom.

Importantly, he determined the end does not justify the means. He amazed the world with his ideas of non-violence and satyagraha. So, in a sense, he did not begin with the end in mind. He started with the Why – that all men are equal before God and deserve to live free and unfettered, which defined the desired ‘end’ and an India liberated. His What and How was aligned and consistent with his Why. He thus found the means to rally a nation and inspire the world. His Purpose was so compelling that it powered even the then unconventional means used and rallied people around it. Thus ‘Find Purpose, the means will follow’, quoth he.

Nemo can be found. Just look around.