“This Tip is on Purpose”

“You did that on purpose!” I often hear that when someone’s about to get it for a misdeed. It differentiates those actions that are done with intent from those not by mistake or accidentally. So, the word purpose can be used to differentiate a special cause from a random cause. In this case, it takes on the differentiator for indictment, something a prosecutor might want to propose (ironic, that purpose and propose share the same etymological genealogy)

Yet, for most, the word purpose connotes something bigger. It could be for good or evil, but certainly on a bigger scale than merely intent. The French refer to it as le raison d’être, the reason for being. It infers that there is more to existence than “Being There”, as in the Peter Sellers classic comedy about an intellectually challenged gardener who is mistaken for a luminary and people all around him infer purpose and meaning in his utterances. What is truly powerful about the film is that it highlights the power of purpose to those around us. The point is indeed powerful. Purpose matters a lot, to those with purpose and to those they touch.

Does our work have purpose beyond compensation? Do our enterprises have purpose beyond returns to our investors? If so, can we clearly articulate that purpose? Some mission statements can come very close in pointing to that purpose, many others sound very nice in a generic sort of way. When we contemplate our next effort or decision, does purpose have an influence?

There is mounting evidence about the strong asymmetry between levels of effort and outcomes. That means that in many cases it is not anywhere close to linear, a fixed multiplier. Malcolm Gladwell discusses tipping points that lead from efforts with a pattern of little outcome to watersheds. There are quantum steps in results that require crossing a threshold, breaking a sound barrier, studying enough for the “eureka” moment, going past that “wall” …There are likely multiple factors that drive those phase changes, the nature of networks being significant. I would argue that purpose is essential.

The difference between being on one or the other side of a breakthrough is likely small in terms of investment, but explosive on the results or outcomes side. The problem is that it is not visible, and all the feedback we get when we see the world with a paradigm of a unit of effort yields and unit of results can drive us to poor decisions. Too often, we give up too early, before the tipping point, the breakthrough. The networked, flat world has changed all of that. The differentiator of whether we put in the extra effort may be the raison d’être … purpose, something that matters, something that can overcome barriers of thought, fear, functions and silos.

A trap that I’ve observed is the one where business culture (political as well) has conditioned us all to look up. Yep, look up at the leader and see if they have purpose, and they have told us what it is, and they act with purpose, and they will notice our purpose, and like us, and give us a treat. Maybe there is an alternative? Maybe it’s up to us?

• Am I clear about what my purpose is?
• Do I know what I should do and how I should behave to fulfill that purpose?
• Have I noticed a difference in my day, my work in my colleagues, and customers when I bring purpose into the day?

Should I do it on purpose?