Mission Amnesia
As someone who regularly speaks with startup founders and industry professionals in the built environment, I've noticed a common phenomenon that I call "mission amnesia." This refers to the tendency for both founders and industry veterans to lose sight of the original motivations and missions that drove them to their chosen fields.
For founders, the story often begins with identifying a problem that is deeply frustrating them. They then quit their jobs to focus all their energy on solving this problem, driven by a mission to improve the quality of life for those impacted. However, as they start to experience early success, secure funding, and chase growth metrics, they can become distracted from that original purpose. Their new challenges become things like hitting revenue targets and crafting the perfect pitch deck, rather than the user needs that first inspired them.
Similarly, industry professionals like architects, engineers, and contractors begin their careers full of passion and idealism. They spend years studying and apprenticing, driven by a desire to shape the built environment in ways that benefit humanity. Yet over time, the day-to-day grind of responding to RFPs, filling out timesheets, and chasing payments can cause them to lose sight of that original mission.
In a recent keynote I gave to hundreds of built environment professionals on the topic of AI, I tried to re-center them on their core "why." I asked a simple question: when you chose this career path, was it because you were excited about the administrative aspects, or because you wanted to create something meaningful that improves people's lives? The resounding feedback was that they had been viewing AI with fear, when in reality it has the potential to free them up from mundane tasks and allow them to focus on the more inspiring, high-impact work they'd envisioned.
This is where I believe having a strong personal and organizational mission statement is so crucial. When I find myself getting bogged down in frustrations at work, I always come back to my core purpose - to contribute to building a society that improves the lives of everyone. My methods may evolve, but that fundamental mission remains the same.
If this resonates with you, I'd encourage you to take some time to reflect on your own "why" - what originally motivated you to choose this path, and how you can realign your day-to-day work with that deeper sense of purpose. It's easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees, but reconnecting with your mission can reignite your passion and drive greater impact. Reach out if you'd like to discuss further.
KP Reddy
Construction Industry Financial Executive with an Operational Focus
9 个月Well said