Your Company's Purpose Is Irrelevant
Readtime: 5 minutes
Why your purpose doesn’t need to align to your company’s purpose
It seems like every company these days says that they are changing the world.
I find it hard to believe them.
Most of us aren’t going to change the world with our jobs either.
But we don’t need to.
The need for a company to have a noble purpose seems to have gone too far.
Most companies are obviously producing something the world needs. Probably something mundane but needed.
And most of us are working in one of those companies.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t find purpose in our work. Irrespective of what the company we work for does (and how they spin it).
Let's find out how.
1. Company Purpose or Your Purpose? (You’re probably making sugar water)
It’s unlikely that the purpose of the company that you work for is going to align with some innate inner purpose that you have.
No matter how much they try and spin it, your company’s purpose is most likely to make a product or deliver a service that it is hard to get too excited about.
It will be something the world needs, but the world needs a lot of pretty dull stuff.
Consider these company purpose statements:
“To inspire and nurture the human spirit.” (Starbucks)
and
“To refresh the world in mind, body and spirit.” (Coke)
You’re selling coffee and pop, guys.
This disconnect between what companies say they do and what they actually do reminds me of how Steve Jobs enticed John Sculley, who was then the President of PepsiCo, to join Apple as its CEO in 1983.
Jobs reportedly challenged Sculley by asking, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?" *
Unfortunately, we can’t all be CEOs of Apple, but we can find our own sense of purpose.
2. How to Find Purpose in Your Work
Your purpose is unlikely to be making coffee or Coke, or whatever your company does.
And that’s ok.
Because we can still find enough purpose in what we’re doing at work, even if it isn’t directly related to excitement about the end product.
Note, if you have got a perfect match then ‘go you’ – that is something to be celebrated!
For the rest of us, here are some ways we can find purpose at work:
Your own personal development
This is about using your time at work to become a better version of yourself. Not only is this fulfilling in itself, but it also makes you more valuable to your current employer (and potential future employers).
Learn new skills, attend training, become a subject matter expert on something.
Sometimes, the more you learn about a topic, the more you become interested in it.
I’ve never been into boxing, but I recently watched the whole Muhammad Ali and George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” fight from 1974. This is the only time I’ve watched a boxing match from start to finish, and I did this because I had read a book about Muhammad Ali. I found the description of his fighting style and tactics in this particular fight fascinating (even though I know nothing about boxing!). Because I knew more about it, watching it became interesting to me.
The wisdom that you gain from challenging situations at work is also helpful for your personal development.
As is dealing with challenging people. Your emotional intelligence and confidence gets a boost every time.
So, finding some purpose in what you are actually doing, learning, and the situations you are in, is the first step.
The next step is recognising your impact on others.
Your positive impact on others
It's likely that you do more than you realise for the other people you work with, and having a positive impact on others is a great purpose for your work.
As a mentor or sponsor for more junior colleagues, you have a huge positive impact on their career.
When you foster an inclusive environment, your team members feel valued and empowered.
When you demonstrate ethical decision making, you are being a great role model for your team.
And your positive attitude alone can dramatically improve someone’s day. Sometimes a simple act of kindness or word of encouragement goes a long way.
So, realising our positive impact on others is the second step.
The next step is actually related to what your company does.
End-user benefit
You may not get super excited about the product you’re making or the service you’re providing, but someone is getting a benefit from it.
The quality of what you produce ultimately affects that end-user.
Recognising how your work improves the life of people using the product or service can bring a greater sense of purpose to your day.
In ‘Life’s Great Question’ by Tom Rath, he identifies that lifeguards who read stories of people’s lives being saved are more vigilant on the job. And fund-raisers who hear from the beneficiaries of their work raise far more money.
He also notes a Harvard study whereby harvest workers significantly increased their productivity when they were more aware of how their contribution helped colleagues in the factory in the next step of the supply chain.
And, of course, sometimes the product or service you are contributing to has broader positive social implications.
So, even if we’re not that excited about the end product, we can still find purpose attached to it.
Career Insights
Finally, in addition to the areas above, an overriding purpose can be that whilst you’re doing your current job, you’re getting data every day on what you like and don’t like. Things you’re good at, things you might want to develop.
This helps you get clarity on what might be the next step for you, which is a great purpose in itself.
In Summary
You don't need to change the world to find purpose in your work. And if your company’s purpose is not aligned to your purpose, that’s ok.
The purpose you get from your job is more likely to be derived from:
Your own personal development
The positive impact you have on colleagues
Enhancing the end user experience
Learning about your own career preferences
Being the best version of yourself, positively impacting those around you, thinking of the end user, and recognising what you are learning about your career are powerful enough.
On a personal note
When I was at KPMG the one thing that was consistent in my various roles was the huge amount of purpose I got from my own personal development and helping to develop others.
I took all the opportunities I could for my own personal development. When I joined I was an unconfident new graduate with poor interpersonal skills. The early responsibility I was given, along with the need to build relationships with my team and my clients, really accelerated my personal growth. As each year progressed, I was also doing something different, with more responsibility, and hence this development continued in each of my 22 years with the firm.
Helping to develop others started from my second year in the firm, when I first had to ‘look after’ the new graduate on the team, i.e. the position I had held the previous year. It continued all the way up until I left as a partner, where I had formal people development responsibilities on the leadership team for a very large part of the firm, in addition to developing the people I was directly working with. I gained a huge amount of purpose and satisfaction from helping others develop and progress through their careers.
One quote to get you going
"When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another."
- Helen Keller
I would love to hear your thoughts. Please email me at coaching@mostynwilson.com.
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