A Sense of Purpose
Part III of the “If I were to run shop…” Series
Everybody asks me to start with “Why”?
At every turn of the road, this question is terribly en vogue. You have to have purpose in everything you do. Marketers tell me that people don’t buy products, they buy purpose, they follow purpose. Everybody strives to have a purpose.
And what I hear most of the time js that Purpose = the Big Hairy Goals; changing the world, the people, the universe etc.
All the time it’s: “Daniel, don’t tell me what you do. Tell me WHY you do it?”
Seriously, I’m sick of it.
Let me be frank: why would I found a company?
I want to be my own boss.
I want to deliver value.
I want to earn money.
That’s the “Why” and it reads terribly egoistic because my “Why” starts with “I”.
And there is a sense behind that, which is not a higher calling. It’s a more mundane thought that actually drives me to start with those egoistic “Why’s”. Creating a higher purpose for your company from the start on is, in my opinion, not the best thing to do. A higher purpose means raising the bar by several metres. It means to look for meaning in all you do, focusing this meaning on the higher purpose itself.
Instead of taking in the big picture and getting a good idea of chances, opportunities and pitfalls, the focus on a higher purpose actually narrows your view. You go for some grand old tunnel vision. And those things that don’t align with your purpose are … you just googled the word … purposeless. And for that you will ignore them.
I’ve been reading Paul Jarvis’ “Company of One” these past weeks. And there is this one story about a Post-It note with a simple message:
“OVERHEAD = DEATH”
The story behind this note is that of a project manager who works from a shed in the garden as a company of one, for whom any type of financial overhead would spell economic ruin.
Consider your “higher purpose” to be the same kind of overhead — a moral overhead. Not catering to this overhead will not have financial impact, yet the psychological impact of failing your purpose will be far worse.
If I were to run shop, the company would have goals. I want my company to be sustainable, efficient, scalable and, most of all, humane. As you might have guessed from my previous articles on this topic, I do not believe in the 9–5, the body count of open space offices or the grind of unfocussed work.
I believe in the value that people can deliver from anywhere at any time.
I believe that it is my duty as an employer to ensure that my employees can do this in the best possible working conditions.
And I believe that the company has to make money to do so.
Even though I keep the overhead low, brilliant people cost money — and I rather invest in people than in fancy office furniture.
And for the purpose, the “Why”?
Well, that’s something we can look for once the company as a whole is sustainable, the growth is scalable, my colleagues are efficient and enjoy their paid work.
Then we will start with “Why”.
Thanks for reading!
Daniel
