Purposeful

A great read about Encore programmes that help retirees with a second “life” post-retirement. Perhaps a reminder that we only live once, so shouldn’t we all learn to live our lives without encore? “The people who enroll in Encore programs have chosen purpose over leisure. In their senior years, they’ve revealed something I take to be a general human truth: Most of us don’t just want simple happiness; we want intensity. We want to feel that sense of existential urgency you get when you are engrossed in some meaningful project, when you know you are doing something important and good. These programs don’t quiet ambitions so much as elevate them, redirect them toward something generous… But how on earth did we end up with a society in which 65-year-olds have to take courses to figure out who they are, what they really want, and what they should do next? How did we wind up with a culture in which people’s veins pop out in their neck when they are forced to confront their inner lives?”

Many people think college is a place where students go to figure out career plans and life ambitions, where they form clear and confident goals for the future. But this, Arthur C. Brooks writes, is not true: “You should not have your future all figured out. Not now, and not later.” https://lnkd.in/eTmMvVh6 This lesson comes in part from the 13th-century Dominican mystic Meister Eckhart, who taught that we should “live without a why.” Eckhart did not mean that people should be directionless, or that life is meaningless. Rather, he believed in teaching the ultimate objective of life: “to act in a spirit of pure love before all else, and not to let worldly aims of money, power, and prestige distract us from this objective,” Brooks explains in a column adapted from a commencement speech he delivered at Providence College, a Catholic institution founded by Dominican friars. Goals such as getting a decent grade, graduating college, and finding a full-time job are all healthy, but “what is not healthy is to be attached to worldly goals in such a way that your happiness depends on them.” This, Brooks continues, is “a belief that almost invariably leads to frustration and disappointment.” Ultimately, setting goals should not distract you from love and service; that way, “you can also stay open to finding yourself on another, better path,” Brooks says. And for many, this path begins with unlearning a series of false lessons. “The first untruth is that you must know your destination,” Brooks writes. “The second is that a good life is one that minimizes suffering, and the third is that you must know and live your own truth.” In the place of these untruths, your new life path should begin with repeating three affirmations each morning, Brooks argues: “1) I do not know what this day will bring, but I will live it the best I can, with an attitude of love and generosity. 2) I am grateful for the good I experience today, but I do not fear the bad, which is part of being alive and an opportunity for learning and growth. 3) I do not possess the absolute truth, but today I will seek it with honesty, an open heart, and a spirit of adventure.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eTmMvVh6

How much of our true self should we bring to work? There’s a difference between true self and flourishing self. From the co-founders of The Beautiful Truth, “…When approached correctly, the right culture becomes a virtuous circle. When people can self-actualise at work, they are in a stronger place to transcend selfish desires, consider their impact, foster empathy, embrace open-mindedness and think about being kinder…Counterintuitively, holding space for the personal and the professional to remain distinct can allow both to flourish.”

Sabine Indinger sharing great insights about meaning-centered job crafting, applying Logotherapy concepts, for Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. Logotherapy is a form of psychotherapy founded by Viktor E. Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. It is considered the third Viennese School of Psychotherapy, following Freud's psychoanalysis and Adler's individual psychology. The term originates from the Greek word "logos," which Frankl defines as "meaning," and thus logotherapy focuses on the search for the meaning of human existence as well as man's search for meaning in the face of life's adversities. Central to logotherapy is the belief that striving to find meaning in life is the primary motivational force in humans. Frankl argues that even in the most unbearable and hopeless situations, life has potential meaning, and therefore, even suffering can be a source of growth and transformation if approached as an opportunity to find purpose. #purposefulwork #viktorfrankl #mansearchformeaning #logotherapy #purposeeconomy #purpose

A different world

Often times, purposeful businesses do not follow the mainstream governance structure/ ownership model. For instance, Bosch, Ramboll and Patagonia are governed by steward ownership or foundation ownership. In Erinch Sahan post, he shared a few more alternative ownership models. How many of these do you know?

We have always loved Robert Greene’s books and most recently managed to finish a classic one titled “Mastery”. We are inspired by the examples and ideas he wrote in the book and would like to share a particular segment that hits closest to home: “…What we lack most in the modern world is a sense of a larger purpose to our lives. In the past, it was organised religion that often supplied this. But most of us now live in a secularised world. We human animals are unique — we must build our own world. We do not simply react to events out of biological scripting. But without a sense of direction provided to us, we tend to flounder…There seems to be no defining purpose to our lives. We are perhaps not conscious of this emptiness, but it infects us in all kinds of ways…Our evolution as a species has depended on the creation of a tremendous diversity of skills and ways of thinking. We thrive by the collective activity of people supplying their individual talents. Without such diversity, a culture dies. Your uniqueness at birth is a marker of this necessary diversity. To the degree you cultivate and express it you are fulfilling a vital role. Our times might emphasise equality, which we then mistake for the need for everyone to be the same, but what we really mean by this is the equal chance for people to express their differences, to let a thousand flowers bloom. Your vocation is more than the work that you do. It is intimately connected to the deepest part of your being and is a manifestation of the intense diversity in nature and within human culture. In this sense, you must see your vocation as eminently poetic and inspiring.”

Purposeful is redefining economy through redesigning work. Instead of designing work purely based on organisational and system needs, work should be customised for individual needs and support their flourishing. A company’s purpose is not only to provide jobs, but to engage individuals meaningfully and support their development towards a fulfilling life. As a society, we are still far removed from an economic system that is regenerative and resilient. We will work hard alongside WEF’s Future of Growth Initiative, and hopefully can shift the economy towards better direction for future generations.

We agree that providing a sense of purpose and having purpose alignment is key and will be increasingly crucial for a thriving work environment. For decades, engagement level at work has been hovering at a low of 20-30% and it is timely to ask ourselves whether the traditional and past way of work has been working for us as a society and for our planet? We at Purposeful is taking a stab at exploring these questions to see how we can redefine work for a flourishing future.

As we enter 2024, we allow ourselves to imagine a society where businesses are started, led and run by people with purposes to serve the wider common good, and imagine being among and part of such people and businesses. In an article published by one of our favourite magazines, The Beautiful Truth, Charles Wookey wrote "...these three aspects of leadership character – wise judgement, a desire to serve a broader common good, and a commitment to relationships founded on respect for the dignity of others – all combine to help form and sustain a purpose-led business. As one CEO described it to me, when these aspects of character formation become infused within the whole business, each person feels they are “a valued member of a winning team on a worthwhile mission.” This is such a fantastic feeling that we hope our effort in Purposeful will allow more and more people to feel this way.