The true purpose of your work

Stephen Fry makes this powerful observation, "Oscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it - that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing - an actor, a writer - I am person who does things - I write, I act - and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun".

My wife is an early years teacher. She wanted to start her own school, and through a series of conversations, she stated what she observes is happening to little children today - that the system is killing their spirit to learn. School has become a punishment. Children end up becoming pushy, loud and aggressive little adults. Kindness and generosity has taken a back seat. The very foundations of society are being uprooted in the start itself as parents and teachers have succumbed to the system.

And so when she reflected on the question posed to her about how a small school could help change that, she said, "I would like to do my bit. And I know there are folks out there who also feel the same. If everyone did their bit, things can change." In that moment, one could sense a spiritual relief within her as she realized the true purpose of her work. She is not just a teacher. That would be a noun and very limiting. She has captured her true purpose with these words in her school- "changing the world, one child at a time".

I have also tried to find my true purpose - where is that I really make a difference. A management consultant would be a noun. I am in the business of alignment - I find gaps in organizations and help fill them to unlock value and increase effectiveness. I am now in the process of explaining the impact it creates - folks seem to understand the importance of it when the wheel of a car is not aligned, or when the bones of the body is not aligned - they need more proof when it comes to their own organizations.

It is really important to define the true purpose of your work in a few words. And when you are able to do this, the simple narrative that you create on this true 'foundation' will get folks interested in what you say. It will cut through and open up deeper conversations with customers/investors/stakeholders that will take you forward in your journey.

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