Why of There: Being Purpose Driven

I'll admit to being a fan of Dave Brock. Not the DB of Hawkwind fame, he of Partners in Excellence. I was particularly struck by a blog post Dave wrote recently: Acting On Purpose. One paragraph caught my attention:

By contrast, those that aren’t purpose driven are struggling. They are focused on the present, struggling to deal with it. They’ve made bad decisions, cutting critical resources/programs, alienating customers, suppliers, blaming everything but their bad leadership and lack of focus, vision, purpose, and values.

The challenging times we currently face has made what Dave writes even more relevant. In the article Dave mentions Simon Sinek. If you've not read his books: Start with Why and The Infinite Game, add them to your reading list.

Purpose and Why ..

I'm a big picture thinker. I believe that is the geographer in me. Glacial landscapes, as an example, have always fascinated me. School trips to Wales got me hooked.

I became really interested in the why of there. These amazing landscapes, how did they form? Answering that question meant, looking at the big picture, then drilling into the details.

I long ago realised, how we are wired, determines our viewport. My wife is detail oriented. She has had a very successful career in the beauty industry; no doubt due to her eye for detail.

I believe 'big picture wired' folks are a minority.

So what does this have to do with Dave Brock and his article? I think those who can see the big picture: construct those large blocks, are best able to effectively define purpose or the why. Simon Sinek is a big picture thinker. I suspect Steve Jobs was too.

It is rare to find organizations with a clear definition of purpose or why. Disjointed and unfocused can often be the result.

Pondering the question ..

I remember the quizzical look on the face of an old colleague when I mentioned my big picture perspective. The look was less about me, more I think about himself (he was actually a detail guy trying, and struggling, to fill a big picture role).

Again I will point at what I believe is the geographer in me. I struggle without having a clear view of the big picture. The purpose. The why. Then developing strategy, and drilling down from there.

Now that I am again independent. I'm pondering this question. What is now my purpose; my why? It falls back again to the reason I became fascinated by geography as a young kid. I realised my purpose (what gets me up in the morning) is all about:

The Why of There.

More on this in future articles. I'm interested: What is your purpose or why?

You can reach me at: [email protected]