"Purpose, Communities and Collaboration".

These last two months, because of those life issues, I have been receiving a lot of information and learning about “Purpose”, “Collaboration”, “Communities”, which is why I would like to share this learning below.

What Relationship Can “Purpose, Collaboration and Communities" have?

The Human Being has mental capacities that allow us to invent, learn and use complex linguistic structures, logic, mathematics, writing, music, science and technology, among others. Human beings are social beings, capable of conceiving, transmitting and learning totally abstract concepts. Philosophically, the human being has defined and redefined himself in numerous ways throughout history, thus granting himself a Positive or Negative Purpose regarding his own existence. Human beings have the ability to be aware of ourselves, our past, being able to plan our future, transform and carry out projects of various kinds. Based on this capacity, we have created various moral codes and dogmas directly oriented to the management of these capacities. In addition, the human being can be aware of responsibility and dangers from nature, as well as from other human beings.

The Greek philosopher and father of western culture, Aristotle, baptized the human being as a SOCIAL ANIMAL. Although he created the concept, it is easy to verify by observing the evolution of the human species throughout history. The Human Being, as a SOCIAL BEING has always formed communities from the first preserved fossil remains of small groups that managed to evolve from Africa, to the huge cities in which people continue to seek to generate small communities even in the most hostile environments.

What is a Community?

COMMUNITIES are presented as a group of human beings who have certain elements in common, such as language, customs, values, tasks, vision of the world, age, location, geography, social status or roles. In general, in a COMMUNITY a common identity is created, through differentiation from other groups or communities (generally by signs or actions), which is shared and elaborated by its members through synchronization.

Generally, a Community is united under the need or improvement of a common objective, such as the common good, although this is something necessary, a common identity is enough to form a COMMUNITY without the need for a specific objective. In administrative terms, a community can be considered as a singular population entity, a commonwealth, a suburb, etc.

The human being from the beginning of its existence has found great strength to be a social species. The reality is that nowadays "technology is what makes it easier and to a great extent allows people to develop the ability to organize themselves into interest groups even when they are located in different cities or countries around the world, with so-called communities". These DIGITAL COMMUNITIES can be defined as “groupings of individuals who are united by the same interest, such as a passion for technology, or sharing the same vision about a particular topic. For example, there are communities of entrepreneurs, of programmers in different languages, of social causes, of designers, among others. An important characteristic of these types of communities is that they take place with physical, digital or mixed meetings. Just do a search on Facebook, Linkedin or platforms such as Meetup, Evenbride or Boletia, to discover the huge number of events that are organized around specific topics.

The main objective of these COMMUNITIES is to allow the concrete and real exchange of knowledge and capacities for the creation of something. "Communities generate value in collective learning", allowing to find peers with the same passions, creating closeness with those people who have greater knowledge in certain areas and achieving through these encounters synergies that produce discoveries and innovations in many fields. These DIGITAL COMMUNITIES allow their members to become specialists in a specific topic of interest and have experts on hand to ask for advice or improve ideas. Going on a slightly broader scale, where more than the competition there is COLLABORATION. "Collaborating is the best way to do business, beyond thinking that if someone does well, I have to do badly, it is not a zero-sum game". However, there are still many people and organizations who miss out on the opportunities to join communities because they believe that the great innovations will come within the organization or fear that their ideas will be stolen.

To create and maintain a COMMUNITY you must first of all have a LONG-TERM VISION, since the changes and results are not seen immediately. Likewise, any person who aspires to be the leader of a COMMUNITY should have the interest of developing a specific area of knowledge and above all focus on CREATING VALUE and situations of CREATING VALUE IN THE COMMUNITY ”. It is essential to understand that “a COMMUNITY is not necessarily a business, but the established network of contacts can be capitalized”. In a TECHNOLOGICAL ECONOMY that allows us to socialize, those who have a great capacity to socialize will be able to capitalize on this in greater innovation, taking advantage of the magic of communities.

It is in these instances of DIGITAL COMMUNITIES, to which I belong (which are of various kinds and objectives), of which I will develop the topic.

And what about the Purpose?

Here it is worth separating the concept of PERSONAL PURPOSE and ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSE.

PERSONAL PURPOSE is related to the fact that each of us has a PURPOSE in life. Although sometimes it takes time to discover what it is. Miguel Benavente de B., maintains that "we have come to this life to discover it and then turn it into the meaning of our existence". That, without a doubt, is the only way to HAPPINESS.

This personal and non-transferable PURPOSE often has little to do with what we had wished for our life or what others told us it was. Each one must discover what it is, although deep down we always know it, although we are not aware. Every time a seemingly irrelevant fact moves us and resonates within us, it is an unmistakable sign that we are getting closer to what we have always sought.

When you feel intimately good doing something - strange as it may seem - it is that we are aligned with that PURPOSE. When we make that act habitual, suddenly our life takes on meaning and, what is better, we feel satisfied. Normally this PURPOSE has something to do with contributing something of value to the world or to others. Life could not tolerate that its meaning was based on an egomaniacal purpose and that it only serves one.

The PURPOSE usually has something to do with the gifts and talents that we have always possessed (something that I fully share based on my experience and what I have glimpsed in the different Digital Communities to which I belong), although perhaps with time and education we have perfected or, conversely, forgotten. We can firmly affirm that the PURPOSE that gives full meaning to our life is nothing more than the dedication of all our personal gifts and talents directed towards a good cause, be it an idea, an activity that gives value to the world or that benefits or helps someone else.

Over time, you discover that PERSONAL PURPOSE may / or may not be something other than our profession and work (when we retire, you realize that by re-inventing yourself, your PERSONAL PURPOSE may be totally different from your profession and work, since for to re-invent yourself, you must MAKE A DETACHMENT of who you were, of your identification with your profession and / or work (this is something proven in communities of senior professionals (over 55 years of age -RED ES50 + -) that I know on the Linkedin platform. then when you understand that what gives meaning to your life has different applications, either in your private life or in your work life or entrepreneurship. When you are able to leave behind that duality between private life and work, integrating both areas and dedicating all your effort and energy to that vital PURPOSE, you discover that whatever you do, that will make you feel HAPPY. Hence the little importance of your activity, because what counts is precisely the meaning that you give it when you carrying it out.

This is where in one of the communities of which I am a member, "Spiritual Seminars" (not religious), we had an instance of reflection on PURPOSE, in which a specialist (a student of the subject of HAPPINESS for years, among other activities carried out , Alfredo Osorio) gave us a talk about “Happiness and Purpose: Why Are We Not More Happy?”. Alfredo Osorio argues that HAPPINESS is made up of feelings that are generated through the experience of two types: THE EXPERIENCES OF PLEASURE plus THE EXPERIENCES OF PURPOSE. PLEASURE is more related to "pleasure experiences", such as eating a sandwich, or a birthday cake, or the joy of watching a movie, or being given a rose. However, when one lives alone on PLEASURES, one begins to get lame. This is where the concept of PURPOSE, or purpose, or meaning of life comes from, which is given through "experiences of meaning". For example, a friend asking you for help to move house. This activity can generate a great experience of meaning and perhaps a low experience of pleasure (even pain). This activity, in the end, becomes an EXPERIENCE OF HAPPINESS, since although it can be a pain from the point of view of the experience of pleasure, it can be enjoyed from the point of view of meaning, since the purpose of helping to a friend, in a group,… He maintains that, we have to understand that HAPPINESS is the sum of experiences (of Pleasure and Purpose or Meaning). Here Alfredo Osorio adds that there are studies that argue that "human beings measure our lives based on our experiences." We do this through an "Evaluating Self and an Experienting Self". The "Evaluating Me" is as if it asks you, How was your feeling of Happiness in April of this year? the Evaluating Self calculates an average in the head, and on a measurement of 1 to 10, evaluates your happiness around 7, for example. However, this Evaluating Self is VERY BAD to EVALUATE, BECAUSE it leaves out or considers things that our memory retains and does not retain (since we are very bad at memorizing). Besides, we are very good at making up lies between ourselves, even with ourselves.

On the other hand there is the "EXPERIMENTING SELF" is based on tangible and real experiences. This also generates feelings. Hence, when one wants to evaluate his HAPPINESS, he must consider both THE EXPERIENCE OF PLEASURE as well as THE EXPERIENCE OF PURPOSE. Thus, we can find people who are "very machines of Purpose or Meaning", and others who, on the contrary, are "very machines of Pleasure".

In this regard, research advises that "to evaluate our HAPPINESS, WE LOOK MORE ON THE EXPERIMENTING SELF". What Experiences yesterday brought you Pleasure and which ones caused Purpose or Meaning? (all this, from the point of view of more than average).

Another thing to keep in mind: "the activities that I value the most are the ones I pay the most attention to." Therefore, ATTENTION is key to provide and generate our experiences. We have to be able to manage the experiences that make me HAPPY during the day. And beware that "we want HAPPINESS NOW, not tomorrow" (through HAPPINESS OF PLEASURE and HAPPINESS OF PURPOSE). All the decisions we make every day are related to HAPPINESS. What is the mix for Happiness of Pleasure and Happiness of Purpose? THERE IS NO RECIPE. We all have different mixes, different experiences. But remember: if someone asks you, how HAPPY ARE WE? You have to be careful when answering, since the EVALUATING SELF (which we talked about previously) immediately appears. This Evaluator self, begins to take averages and is lost. Also, if we are with more people around us, we will appear to be Happier (or vice versa, very sad). Thus, to answer the question, it is much better to score from 1 to 10 evaluating the Experience of Pleasure on the one hand, and then the Experience of Meaning or Purpose on the other. And here we will realize that "generating pleasure is much easier than generating meaning or purpose." Many times even, many people 2 have no PURPOSE ”. This is where one begins to ask oneself today. DO I PURPOSE that it really be worth it?

We pay a lot of attention to our Evaluating Self and little to our Experienting Self, and this is fundamental as Alfredo Osorio says.

The re-diction of activities is fundamental (experiences of pleasure and sense or purpose), but NOW. For this reason, Osorio says, people are UNHAPPY, because the systems are super badly armed (they postpone the redirection of activities that generate HAPPINESS: weekends, once a month, etc.).

Another thing is that we have very wrong DESIRES. We believe that WEALTH, FAME, POWER AND SUCCESS will generate us Experiences of Pleasure and Meaning or Purpose. There are current studies that reveal that Secretaries are much happier than their bosses, Managers, General Managers, General Directors (who are millionaires),…. The same thing happens to young people (they want to be like their idols). these types of young people are very unhappy (they have very bad experiences of pleasure and meaning or purpose). Many times they have no PURPOSE, so the pleasures have taken him to such a point that they have become drug addicts, addicted to all their pleasures.

On the other hand, regarding wealth, there are studies that say that the person who earns between US $ 75,000 and US $ 120,000 a year, does not get more happiness.

On the other hand, we project our HAPPINESS very badly (we generate high expectations), and expectations are not exceeded. We lie to ourselves a lot, as our brain projects super bad. That is why it is very important to know which experiences give you pleasure and which ones generate meaning or purpose, to use that information in what we are going to do later (and not let ourselves down).

We have very wrong BELIEFS, we believe that if we are like other people, we will be more HAPPY. We are constantly looking at other people, unconsciously we are competing (we constantly compare ourselves with another, generating very wrong experiences).

Therefore, it is recommended: Experientially Evaluate your day-to-day -on note- (taking care not to evaluate with the Evaluator Self). Second, Assign Daily Notes to your Pleasure Experiences and your Purpose Experiences (analyze your day to day). In this way, you will be able to realize what it is that makes you HAPPY. This will allow you to go to stage three, GENERATE A NEW FUTURE based on the activities that you can plan to carry out in your life (work, personal, entrepreneurship, ...) that you already know give you HAPPINESS. This will also allow you to realize what your Experiences of Meaning are. They GENERATE you HAPPINESS based on your Purpose, your Meaning of Life (in different areas).

Finally, Alfredo Osorio advises that “we must be a FACTORY OF HAPPINESS, of experiences that GENERATE HAPPINESS TODAY (NOT TOMORROW)". To generate Happy Experiences, I must modify my attention to the Experiences that generate Happiness (experiences of Pleasure and Meaning). Try not to let the system keep you away from these activities and you end up procrastinating, avoiding finding that balance that leads to your HAPPINESS. And attention, "Perfect Life Doesn't Exist", "Let's be Happy enough", Alfredo Osorio concludes.

THE ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSE (BUSINESS), is one that says relationship with Entrepreneurship. It is the PURPOSE that becomes what companies exist for beyond making money. An organization or brand with PURPOSE is, therefore, one that uses its unique position and capabilities to address a social, individual or environmental need.

According to a study by the LinkedIn platform together with Imperative, they published the Purpose Work report, conducted with 26,151 members from 40 countries, resulting in the fact that, in the last three years, 58% of organizations with a clearly articulated PURPOSE and Understood, they experienced a growth of more than 10%, while 42% of those without a clear PURPOSE, obtained negative growth.

The results show that worldwide, PURPOSE is an important factor in the workplace, with more and more employees evaluating very positively those jobs that allow them to CONNECT with their PERSONAL PURPOSE. Thus, organizations that understand the growing emphasis on PURPOSE in today's career landscape enhance their ability to attract and retain employees for longer periods of time. Employees simply want to feel included in the moves and in the direction the company is heading.

PURPOSE-driven companies have "a stated and measured reason for existing, a mission known to all employees". Through an internalized Business Culture, they offer jobs to their employees that allow them to experience the PURPOSE through 3 basic elements: "The Positive Impact on Others", "Personal Development" and "Carrying out the Work through strong relationships with their peers ”. Although worldwide the PURPOSE orientation in workers is 37%, it is not distributed at all in the same way geographically.

The correlation between job satisfaction and PURPOSE orientation was consistent in practically all the countries studied, so it follows that “PURPOSE IS A MOTIVATOR independent of the differentiators in the region, culture or language".

With regard to industries, and as logic also dictates, “non-profit organizations, education and social services” have a more PURPOSE-oriented staff, but also other companies and industries such as the media, consulting or health care have high percentages of workers with that orientation.

The more PURPOSE-oriented employees perform better than those who only see work merely as a way to earn a certain income and / or status. The former have higher levels of compliance in their work (by 64%), more likely to be in leadership positions (by 50%) and are more likely to be promoted by their employees (by 47%). While it appears that millennials are the most PURPOSE generation currently on the organizational roster, the report indicates otherwise. The percentage of each group of workers considered “purpose-oriented is only 30% for millennials (ages 18-35), while it is 38% for members of the so-called Generation X (ages 36-50). years) and 48% for the so-called Baby Boomers (over 51 years old). The study concludes that the PURPOSE is not something genetic, and that the variation in orientation to it by country and culture shows that where you are born and how you are educated are factors that determine it.

In an appropriate environment and through proper mentoring, talent recruitment managers, mentors, and leaders can help foster a sense of PURPOSE in employees. Connecting employees to those jobs that align with their sense of PURPOSE can only be beneficial to organizations through higher performance, more productivity, and lower staff turnover.

Identifying the PURPOSE of the company with a social commitment helps to give direction and motivate its people, but it also has the consequence that companies are more successful. According to Fast Company, in its article “Business With A Strong Sense of Purpose Are more Successful”, as well as a study by Deloitte, it shows that companies with a high sense of PURPOSE have enjoyed better financial results than companies that did not have a Culture with a high sense of PURPOSE.

3 Essential measures are recommended to take advantage of the PURPOSE within business strategies:

• Talent Brand: Incorporating the PURPOSE in the efforts of the brand, getting the candidates to know of their existence in the company and thus be able to attract them to it.
• Recruitment: Including the PURPOSE of the organization during all steps of the selection process. Looking for PURPOSE-oriented talent and asking questions like "What motivates you?" in job interviews. Looking beyond the skill set of candidates, and hiring for those jobs that connect with their sense of PURPOSE.
• Employee Retention: Understanding what drives company employees, and how they experience the PURPOSE. By ensuring they have the autonomy, influence, fair compensation and resources necessary to do their job, and by clearly defining and communicating the organization's values, culture and mission.

But how is the PURPOSE OF THE COMPANY generated?

There are many methodologies for this (from writing a life diary as you progress with your venture; to tools such as Ikigai, asking yourself the question for what? ... etc.). All this, I learned in another community of which I am also a member (Turingo Community, belonging to the Turingo.com platform that specializes in training leaders of micro and small companies in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, through collaboration and continuous learning. Here we carried out four one-hour Reflection sessions (one each week). In the first session (“Building Purpose and Collaboration”), we carried out a workshop with groups of attendees where they debated and reflected on how the Purpose is generated in each of us, and if it does not exist, how it could be carried out for each of the undertakings of the leaders participating in each workshop group. Then the following week, the second Session of Reflection on Purpose and Collaboration, instance in which, the topic of What leads us to the Purpose? was touched, where people shared the findings and discoveries made in the first s esion What leads us to the Purpose? Where does that initial wish come from? Then in the third week, a third session of Reflection on Purpose and Collaboration is held, an instance in which the concept of “Knowing the Purpose of Tenlove App was addressed, where Nicolás Pino and Paula Herrera tell us how a specific problem ( loneliness in old age), became the engine to find his great Purpose. Positively transform the perception and the way in which people live the elderly in Latin America, coming to fully enjoy it.

Prior to the last reflection session, the day before, we carried out an online event, which community members prepared for young university-level students, professional technicians, even for middle school students (high school) of their last two levels. The event was titled “Get Inspired: Young People Seeking Their Purpose”, in which 8 entrepreneurs recounted their experiences of “elaboration of purpose” in the course of carrying out their respective undertakings. This not only helped inspire the audience, but also the members of the “Thuringo Community” who participated in that event, with great learnings and teachings.

Finally, to finish, the fourth and last session of Reflection on Purpose and Collaboration is held, an instance in which the Thuringo Community comes together to reflect on the accumulated learning in this cycle of reflection on Purpose and Collaboration. Here, the lessons learned about Purpose and Collaboration were condensed:

• "The Purpose well expressed, is a filter of what does correspond to our Purpose and what does not correspond in day-to-day actions".
• "The Purpose helps to make business decisions".
• "The Search for Purpose is multi dimensional".
• "What tremendous freedom you give yourself when you let go of what society expects of you and focus on knowing what you expect of yourself".
• “First it is convenient to self-express the Personal Purpose. Then it illuminates the way to create ventures that have their own Purposes consistent with the staff".
• "The Purpose of Life is in the Being ... then comes the Doing".
• "Purpose allows you to flow".
• “The Purpose when one discovers it, is based on negative experiences…. through reflection ”.
• "We take care of the bond and the heart of the People".
• "El Propósito es bueno tenerlo elaborado antes del proyecto”.
• "The Purpose accompanies us".
• "The Purpose is shared and serves to inspire others".
• “Purpose creates need and this generates the appetite to learn. I learn because I need it. I need it because I made myself this Purpose ”.
• "The Purpose is discovered, it is linked to the experience, it is experienced".
• "There is the Purpose by roles (as friend, sister, worker, etc.)".
• "What we should or should not do with our lives ... the awakening of society."
• "Reflecting is essential to discover this Purpose".
• “The Purpose unites us with other Purposes and that builds communities with Purpose".
• "The Purpose is our Compass".
• "The Purpose helps us to create a work team".
• "Society imposes paradigms on us that limit us and impose on us Purposes external to our nature".
• "The Purpose is also flexible".
• “Purpose and Pleasure must be balanced to be Happy”.
• "The main thing is to take care of the Being ... the Personal Purpose".
• "We must resort to the Personal Essence".
• "Many seek to have to do and then to be ... and it is ... to be ... to do ... to finally have".
• "We must not accept the fears that society wants to give you, and reflecting to discover the Purpose is a great act of empathy with oneself, which is essential to later empathize with the community".
• "The Purpose does not change in the long term".
• "We must lose fear to advance in the search for Purpose".
• "The Ikigai is a tool that serves to order and land the ideas of Purpose".
• "The Purpose is the direction, but the destination is where I want to go with this".
• "As we move forward, in gerund, one is sculpting / distilling both the Personal Purpose and the Purpose of their Entrepreneurship".
• "If you take care of Being, Doing comes in addition if you let yourself flow".
• "The Purpose inspires us to fight day by day in our goals and ideals, to be better people and contribute in a Collaborative World where the main thing is to contribute in this society".
• "If Doing is an expression of Being, .. There is Relevance".
• The Purpose implies Detaching".
• "The Purpose has a Path: I understand it, I assume it and I am willing to face it".
• "Purpose calls Purpose".
• "To be able to communicate my Purpose so that my counterpart understands me and does not judge me".
• "Achieving the Purpose has to do with skills, talents that are learned over time".
• "Communicating has to do with looking at my receiver, to connect with the Purpose of the other".
• "Be / Do / Create".
• "In Communication it takes a lot of relevance to KNOW HOW TO CONVERSE".
• "Need to listen to us".
• “Doing is absorbing and often generates dependency and addiction. You have to take time to do introspection and sometimes we are afraid to see ourselves in the mirror ”.

And What is the relationship between Purpose, Community and Collaboration raised at the beginning of this post?

It is something that everyone must have realized by now. "The Collaboration is here to stay." It starts from the Personal Purpose, and then, through a conscious search, to find a Community, to which our Purpose feels aligned, and allows us to be happy in Being, Doing and Sharing Collaborating (where we we feel identified). Personal Purpose guides us. The Community Purpose empowers us to reflect, to Share, to Learn, to Collaborate, to Innovate in a transparent way, communicating between members of the same community (and above all unlearning about the Competency paradigm within the Community -if we are not able to this, and we do not put aside personal ambitions, ego and envy, the community can disappear-). If we add this to -6 /…, there is a kind of virtuous circle of a new paradigm that would radically change the way humanity unfolds, how it lives day to day. It would be like a new evolutionary step, which brings with it an infinity of opportunities to explore, to create value for the whole of society.

(Note: For those students of the course, go back to the course and follow the instructions to assimilate the knowledge delivered).

Original Version: "Propósito, Comunidades y Colaboración", Hugo Céspedes A.