When was the last time you felt a pull from within?
I have always found it remarkable that, throughout history, the diversity of human need has been met with a diversity of human talent. Whether it was Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Orville and Wilbur Wright, or Steve Jobs, there existed in life a hunger for something more before the talent showed up to deliver it. There may be some who argue that the world could have moved along just fine without these talented individuals. Perhaps they are right, but perhaps others would have shown up in their stead to fulfill the need of our growing edge.
As a parent, I did my best to guide and provide for my daughter as she grew. Yet, the interests she’s had in life so far have been her own. I did not put them there, I could not replace them or rearrange them even if I wanted to try. As the beauty of her talents blossom and grow, all that I can do is watch in amazement. I believe that it is all any parent can do beyond offering a little help along the way. She will be whom the world needs her to be as a result of the pull she feels from within.
Many of the things we experience and enjoy in life seem to emanate from a pull from within. This ineffable sensation that we all feel from time to time will drive some of us to create things that serve the greater good, and not just ourselves. From this sense of pull, or purpose, many of the world’s most successful businesses have been founded. Even when demand exceeded supply, the companies that prevailed beyond the short-term disparities were those which were driven by a strong sense of purpose. For this reason, it is vital that we as leaders pay close attention to the purpose from which our work is driven.
Describing one’s purpose is not any easy thing to do. It’s just plain difficult to come up with the words and phrases that aptly describe how a founder’s sense of purpose shaped a company from the start. Furthermore, the founder’s purpose may not have been immediately apparent. It may have taken time for the pull from within to finally express itself in its ultimate form. Fortunately, a successful company’s purpose is always discernable. Even if the founder has long since departed from the planet, even if the company’s purpose has never been documented, it lives on in the value it holds for its customers.
The longer a company has existed, the more change it has endured. The ability for a company to endure change is based upon its unchangeable essence— its purpose. Over the years, I have worked with a number of businesses, some of them were relatively new while others were decades old. Those companies that stood the test of time did not deviate from their purpose. How is it possible for the purpose of a company not to change when change is constant and on the rise? The only way this can happen is by fulfilling a need that belongs to the enduring health or psyche of humankind.
Companies with purposes that do not reflect the unchanging essence of humankind will not exist for the long haul. It is conceivable that a company may be created to fulfill a short-term vision. There are holding companies formed to package and sell a finite supply of assets, for example. However, if leaders want their companies to endure for future generations to enjoy, then their purpose must be enduring as well. A company formed with the purpose of building websites does not have the enduring purpose of the company that exists to connect people with their customers around the world. The mechanics of building a website may change or become obsolete over time. However, people will always feel the need to connect with one another.
An enduring purpose drives more than a company’s founder, it motivates and propels the entire team forward. While money is important, time is the other precious commodity that concerns us all as employees. We innately want to be working at something that we feel is worthy of our time and talents. Personally, my motivation comes from a drive to perpetuate business success and independence, not just for myself, but for everyone who appreciates the entrepreneurial spirit as much as I do. I feel a greater sense of urgency and accomplishment when my purpose is clear and I know who I am serving, as do the people who work with me toward my goals. It takes very little to motivate them. More often than not, they inspire me. When you declare and subscribe to an enduring purpose, you attract people—customers and talented staff—who share your values and help you build on them.
Of the many things we track toward business success, a sense of purpose should be at the core. What activities are we doing every day, week and month that support or detract from our enduring purpose? How consistently are we upholding the values connected to our purpose? Where do we fall down? How well do we communicate our purpose to others? How often and through what means do we deliver our purpose? Who are the people that we serve with our sense of purpose? What needs of theirs do we fulfill? What needs of theirs might we be missing?
Technology has made it very practical to track our touchpoints with people. What if we added another dimension to our tracking capabilities? What if we tracked the touchpoints that communicate our purpose to them? To do so, would mean that we have made a commitment to being consistent with our message. We will have landed on a way in which to express the inner drive that propels us forward. We will have offered a way in which others can experience it, too. It may be interesting to see what the numbers divulge over time when we connect with people based on our purpose.