There are many expressions of purpose that seem disconnected from a required level of complex understanding or connection with the change that appears to be unfolding, except personal anger and/or discomfort.
It may be useful therefore to create a distinction between
- Talents, which are our developed abilities, skills and passions and
- Purpose which implies relevance and a grasp of the complexity [differentiation and integration] of context.
For the independent professional and business owner committed to making a difference, the question may then be, how relevant is my business and business products? Or even more fundament, how relevant is the model of business I'm using?
Which is a tough question to ask.
And which is only a relevant question if the objective is to contribute to making a real difference and playing a role in the unfolding of our cultural evolution.
And which is only a relevant question if the objective is to contribute to making a real difference and playing a role in the unfolding of our cultural evolution.
Hi Paul.
ReplyDeleteLove this topic.
At the heart of a strong brand is a relevant and shared purpose (a.k.a a Why or Mission).
In my recent interactions with a client helping them define their Why it became clear that without customer input the internally crafted statement of purpose could be nice idea that no one externally cared about.
Involving customers in the process to articulate shared beliefs (which is the level at which people tend to unite) and define the roles and goals of everyone at the table is a powerful exercise. Asking 'What is it we are here to do together?' or 'What do we both want here?' can help move people beyond their individual needs to search for common ground where all who want to play together can participate in building something greater than either could have built on their own.
This topic is very much alive for me right now.
Brent
Hi Brent, thx for that insightful comment. And sure within a company or departmental context it's critical in today's fast, complex world to meet together at a new deeper level of 'why', which is actually Important to the client and which 'we' find meaningful. That's being relevant, right?
DeleteHowever within a broader human context we face awesome divergence of opinion, even amongst the well informed, and I believe this is both useful and natural. There is no one solution, and because of this the 'why' we are doing this at all becomes so much more important... To make a difference and that also means the way in which we move forward given this divergence.
It's as I see it a whole new level of creative or design thinking and problem solving.
Hugs, Paul