PurposeLab. // on values, rules & design principles
This is stuff that’s been rattling around in my head since I started PurposeLab. So I’m writing it down in the hope of clearing some space.
My design principles
PurposeLab. is an experiment, as are all its actions. At its heart is the creation of prototypes that allow us to explore the future by doing. Each action will be designed according to the following principles:
- A conversation is the smallest unit of change
- None of us is smarter than all of us
- The hierarchies of yesterday are no match for the speed required of today
- Serendipity advances innovation, I seek and create serendipity engines
What I value
I value authenticity
I want to be myself — and this means recognising that there is no fake separation between the me who works and the me who lives. I want to work with people who are also prepared to show their real selves and strip away the artifice so we can get work done without all the pain and confusion that comes from hiding your true self.
I value fearlessness
When I feel fear its usually because I’m stepping out of my comfort zone —out of the known and into the unknown. And that’s the point at which I can learn the most and sense new ways of being, new ways of doing.
I value the chaordic (the path between chaos and order)
Too much order and structure kills creativity, too much chaos does the same. The edges of eco-systems, the point at which they overlap with others is where the greatest adaptation occurs. I want to work in that space — the edges and overlaps where the future is emerging fastest.
I value flow
There is a type of work where it’s highly challenging but I feel a level of skill that enables me to feel fully immersed and focused. This is a really enjoyable state and one that I want to seek out more often.
I value time in nature
Getting out of the city and taking time to see the horizon, feel grass underfoot and breathe real air is something I love to do but often forget about. I want to remember to do this — and even if it’s not possible, to do on the tiniest scale every day by just looking more, feeling more, noticing more of the natural world round me.
The rules of the PurposeLab. experiment
I’ve given myself some rules, but not many:
- I won’t make any decisions based purely on money
- I will use the cards I chose at the Levey’s workshop as my values
- I won’t work alone
- I will live this ‘out loud’ and openly share what I’m doing and what I’m learning
