People face dire economic challenges which means companies have an important role to fill in their communities. New operating models designed to care for teams, customers, and communities that authentically contribute in a meaningful way will impact short-term needs and long-term loyalty.

Building a Company On Purpose

What does it mean to be a company on purpose? It means the fundamental principles driving the existence of the organization is rooted in the desire to serve a human need. It also means the people inside the organization have personal desires to serve the same human need.

Imagine a workplace where we focus on developing a sense of self, having autonomy, and aligning with one another to actualize our purpose in the work we do in the world.

A place where people are intrinsically motivated to give their blood, sweat, and tears because they have ownership and feel one with the company. A place where people connect deeply with their peers, where trust is developed and strengthened overtime, and people show up excited to be apart of an extraordinary movement.

I see a workplace where people intentionally cultivate superpowers like compassion, vulnerability, imagination, and empathy to elevate the collective consciousness, instigate cultural evolution, and move the world forward.

Superpowers like vulnerability and empathy are gifts a person receives from experiencing a moment of transformation. Humans thrive when they cultivate superpowers. These gifts continue to increase in demand as they are not available transactionally, and this makes them competitive advantages.

How might we design an experience for people to cultivate superpowers, actualize their best self, and surround themselves with inspiring people who want to see them grow?

 

Culture Design
Self: Who am I? What is my purpose?
Team: Who else out there is inline with my purpose, or, perhaps compliments, my individual purpose?
Organization: How might we build the capabilities to work together for the long-haul?
Problems (Opportunities): What unsolvable problems (climate? equity?) are we deeply passionate about solving first?
Customers: Who experiences the impact of this unsolvable problem? How might we nurture those individuals through the process of becoming self-aware of their individual behavior which may have a significant role in the perpetuation of the problem’s existence?
Solutions: How might we collaborate, imagine, and, hopefully, co-create the solutions to this problem

Leadership Paradigm

It appears that organizational transformation starts with the leader adopting new operating principles for herself, and, in doing so, models the ideal behavior she hopes to cultivate in the culture.

Old Paradigm

• Transaction-Driven
• Ready to Answer
• Ego
• Blames Teams
• Controls Information
• Avoidance
• Blinded by Superpower

New Paradigm

• Conversation-Centered
• Asks Questions
• Humility, Accountable
• Transparent
• Acknowledgement
• Emotional
• Extreme ownership
• Starts with trust
• Vulnerable, Empathetic
• Aware of Kryptonite