A Fundamental Principle – ElPropósito2 min de lectura

Why define a purpose

Photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash

Purpose is a principle, a fundamental law or idea that guides how an organization, a team or a person acts. Today, for example, we put great emphasis on companies defining their purpose, alongside their vision, mission, values, value proposition and so on (principles too). It’s essential to know that purpose as our reason for being, our goal of goals, the lighthouse we can always turn to for the inspiration to do good, and keep doing it, for ourselves and for those around us. Mark Twain is credited with saying, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."

With a clear, well-defined purpose, it’s easier to build a strategy that moves us in its direction. A well-built strategy shows how every action contributes to the expected results. It also has to stay true to the value proposition we want to offer others. With a purpose, a value proposition and a well-defined strategy, we have three great principles to guide our steps in one focused direction that, above all, lets us serve others and the world.

Without strategy, for example, there are no goals and no leadership. Leadership rests on ethics and on conduct grounded in values, but it needs a why, and purpose provides it. There’s plenty of talk about where a person or organization should direct its efforts, yet little or no time goes into learning about ethics and values and, above all, how closely they relate to leadership. More than knowing where they’re headed, a leader understands that their conduct must inspire others. Strategy brings clarity on where to go. Conduct comes from ethics, values and, above all, a deep belief in one’s own purpose and the organization’s.

The growing focus on purpose, ever more visible, necessary and basic, emerges in deeply uncertain times like these. It’s precisely in humanity’s hardest moments that we’ve most needed leadership and clarity on where to move, to secure our survival and keep panic at bay. Today more than ever, we need to know our life purpose, organizations need to define their corporate purpose and teams need to be clear on why they exist. The other principles, like strategy and leadership, will follow and let us navigate with much greater clarity.

More important than piling up principles for acting and living well is being clear on why we’re in this world, and purpose will always give us that answer.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. There was no VELA this week. I barely managed to read because I was traveling. I hope to put together a good VELA for next Sunday.

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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