Pinkcast 1.18: A 5-minute exercise for discovering your purpose
LINKS AND FURTHER READING:
- The evidence that people perform better when they have a clear sense of purpose is overwhelming. In this insightful video, Stanford’s Jennifer Aaker explains why.
- LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman says that purpose is the key to building a startup. The accounting firm KPMG uses purpose to reduce attrition. A clear sense of purpose can even add years to your life.
Love it! Very simple and unfortunately I already know the answer at my place, it will be all over the place
Great excercise that brings your Drive model and Simon Sineks start with why neatly together.
Loving the pink casts, thanks for sharing them
We ran a very similar game to this with senior managers and none of them knew. “What’s our Strategy?” the answer? “To hit budget”. There’s a lot of work to go on this one….
Very much like the exercise, had read it in your book in December 2016 and used it with my colleagues and boss (first steps). Resulted in a larger exercise around our organisation’s purpose, including communication to all layers.
At first I thought the claim about the responses falling into two categories, if true, would be astounding. I should have know what that Venn diagram would look like. Well done.
The point is still valid and reinforces the “purpose” part of Drive.
We might try this exercise with the department.
Thanks.
You may be familiar with the book ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ by Viktor Frankl.
He wrote that in the Nazi concentration camps (where he was a prisoner), those who had purpose tended to survive. The purpose was something associated with what they would do and what things would be like after the camps. That they could envisage an afterwards was important.
Communists, for example, did well – they organised and they were driven. And they survived. Of course, chance, illness, or whatever played their part – but leaving those things aside, purpose is what mattered.
Excellent! Love the PinkCasts – please keep them coming. This is a great strategy. I will be using it in an upcoming workshop. Thanks so much for sharing your thinking!
Dan,
I think this exercise is fantastic! Every organization should do this. And regularly. It’s a great way to see if everyone is on the same page. And for a stepping stone to get everyone on the same page.
Thanks!
This exercise in purpose also works well in families, the most important organization in society.
Thanks, Dan. I will use this today. We are working a turnaround in a private school in the middle east and we have been chipping away at the causes of a passive aggressive toxic culture. Strangely, I’m excited to see the responses. Enjoy!
I write about parenting with purpose and this is a great exercise to use in our own families. Thanks for the inspiration!
Watched this my car whilst trying to summon up the energy to go to work. Feeling energised and full of purpose now. Loving the Pinkcasts so keep them coming
Thanks dan!! Another great exercise!! Love it!!
A great piece of advice and a very powerful tool – so simple! Thanks very much for this insight Dan.
I see the purpose of this . 😉
thanks for sharing Dan.
Uncover your beliefs-daily,
minute by minute- working, living -playing
You made me stop for a moment and think about the purpose of my business, small though it might be. Thanks!
I’ve led this exercise with a group of leaders, and every time find they’re shocked that they don’t all come up with the same answer. It’s a great reminder that even in well-run companies that we can get distracted, off track, and need to take a step back regularly and recalibrate who we are and where we’re going. Thanks for the reminder.
After the cards are completed and the answers of the group revealed, what are the next steps?
You mentioned at the beginning of the corporate exercise that you hand out 2 cards. You took back one that had everyone’s understanding of the organization’s purpose. What did you do with the second card?
Oops! I re-listened to it and you said “a” single card but were holding up 2. Somehow I misunderstood…disregard or delete my comments.
I think you’re tops. I’ve read all of your books (in English) here in distant Argentina, including “Free agent nation”. This is BY FAR one of the most useful Pinkasts I’ve received. Clever. Concise. And very (very!) useful in my job. Thanks for sharing.
Made a fatal mistake with this technique. We are so inundated with our Mission as a school that 40% of respondents wrote the mission on their paper. I should have modified the question for original responses only. I mean, I’m glad they all know the mission, but I failed in explaining the purpose of the exercise. Give me the stuffed monkey, my error (see Pinkcast 1.19).