Why Purpose Driven?
We are building a new company called inc and are focused on defining meaningful purpose for the companies we work with. I was wondering what we mean by purpose and what being purpose driven means in the big scheme of things
Here’s my view:
Human development thus far, I feel has reached a milestone. During the last century, we have experienced developments in all aspects of life that seem unimaginable in retrospect, yet were indeed imagined and brought about by us — humans.
This modern-day reality presents a world of opportunity, yet at the same time a world of fear and anxiety. The degree of change is ferocious. Take for instance as one example, the internal combustion engine in the form of the automobile. Such a powerful and stable icon of our society and culture, even somehow living as human in its own way through its many shapes, sizes and characteristics.
Who would have dreamt that we would reach a point where the polluting heart of that much-loved machine was no longer acceptable and within a blink of an eye, consigned to the scrap heap? The impact of this is difficult to comprehend. How do the oil companies and all their partners continue to make their billions in a future where gas stations are razed to the ground to build charging stations for our electric mobility solutions?
This level of industry disruption is happening all around us. The meat industry is in crisis, plants and insects are taking back the moral and environmental ground. The plastics industry is facing a daunting meltdown. Consumer heat is tangible and voiced loudly as shoppers discover coconuts wrapped in plastic packaging and sea turtles with drinking straws lodged up their nostrils. The same goes for the music industry, the media industry, the physical retail industry. The list goes on and on, as the pillars of our old society are dismantled one by one and made obsolete, all in the last 20 years!
Change is good, right? Humans need to evolve. But why is it that we humans seem to make so many brilliant mistakes and then spend the rest of our lives fixing them. Maybe it’s because we, as opposed to Greenland Sharks cannot really comprehend timelines longer than the lifespan of our own species. A Greenland Shark was discovered recently that was said to be over 500 years old, a youngster living at the same time as William Shakespeare. Would humans act in the same way, if they were accountable for their actions for 500 years? Imagine having the job of deciding where and how to bury nuclear waste. In fact not a difficult job, cos who gives a shit about the consequences in 250,000 years as the radioactivity slowly degrades and seeps into our environment.
So, coming back to purpose, I believe now more than ever is the time where we need to take a more longer-term view, it’s our responsibility as the rulers of this planet. No other living animal has the power or ability. Only Mother Nature is strong enough to take things back. These days she warns us on a regular basis, but we know she won’t truly intervene until we have fucked it all up.
So, what does this mean for companies? In this age of capitalism and consumerism, the mega brand rules. Religion is dead, politics corrupt, and true leaders of people are few and far between. Brands have the power, the money and the fanatic followers that can if they so wish, change the world.
So here is why I think our little company can have some impact in this big complex picture. What we will do is stand behind our belief that there is a better world order and a future that my children will inherit that is positive and full of opportunity without the negative side effects of our selfish human condition.
We’ll try our best to convince companies (or anyone for that matter) that they need to take a longer-term view and be more accountable for their actions. We’ll help them to feel proud of the impact they have in the world and to see the big opportunity wherever poossible. We’ll hold their hands into that scary future and we’ll help them do it with clear purpose that not only looks good on their balance sheets but also fixes the past mess we have created and avoids new future fuck-ups that we again have to deal with.
We’ll pretend we have a lifespan of 1000 years and we are responsible for our actions throughout that whole period. We owe it to the planet and ourselves as a species. We’ll help our clients take a more important societal role that creates long term value and positive development vs short term rewards and money in the pockets of the shareholders. That’s at least one way for us as a company and as humans to sleep well at night knowing we are part of the solution, not the problem.
It’s gonna take balls and confidence and we’ll probably get lots of pushback, but what the hell, all the pioneers in the world had to deal with the same shit.