Just BeCAUSE…

Who am I and why am I here?

Those are two of life’s BIG questions. Try finding bigger ones.

For individuals who undertake the journey to answer them, priceless rewards await. Among them are clarity and strength of a compelling personal cause, or mission at the CORE. That sense of purpose brings focus, energy, and a sense of adventure and mission to life. We all need both clarity and strength in those times when life confronts us with trials, challenges and distractions. Even more important than these, however, is the profound sense of MEANING that comes from tackling these most fundamental of life’s questions. In times of trial and peace, suffering and joy, we all need a cause to believe in. According to Viktor Frankl, the famous psychologist, author, and holocaust survivor, meaning is what we all ultimately seek in our lives. “Does it matter?” is the question at the heart of the matter.

Many individuals miss the opportunity to lead what otherwise could have been transformed, meaningful lives by failing to embark on the journey into these questions. For them, identity is found in surname, and purpose in moving towards pleasure from pain. The problem is, such an unexamined life leaves individuals unanchored and vulnerable to every push, shove, whim, chase, and body blow life in this world will throw at them. Scattered, busy, fretful, frightened, distracted, desperate and ultimately meaningless, the unexamined life, as Aristotle remarked, is simply “not worth living.”

It seems to me that all of us must choose either to lead our lives, or to allow our lives to lead us. With a cause, excellence is possible. Without one, mediocrity is the best we can hope for.

In my experience, the same principles apply for organizations as for individuals. Many of our public and private institutions are leading unexamined lives. This is especially true for many businesses. For them, identity is found in brand name, and purpose in moving towards profit from loss.

Organizations of all types face the same choice as individuals: either choose to lead life, or life will end up leading them. The difference between guaranteed mediocrity (or worse) and a shot at excellence lies in answering those two big questions “who we are and why are we here?” In other words, “What is our identity and purpose?”

Why is this so important? I believe we are in the midst of a revolution regarding our relationships with our institutions. The revolution is accompanied by an ongoing evolution in human consciousness the result of rising global education levels and the transition to a global employment economy based increasingly on imagination and less on  physical labor. The revolution has already occurred in some places and eventually will spread everywhere. It is a profound threat to institutions and businesses currently leading the unexamined life.

Corporate Leaders: The revolution is a power shift from you to them. You need them more than they need you. Who is them?

Your employees and customers. In a word, it’s us.

“Knowledge workers”–the new global breed of highly educated, networked, mobile, creative, imaginative, restless, impatient, and demanding adults–will simply not stand for unimaginative employers. They want and need a CAUSE to believe in, to give their imagination and creativity to. Just look at some of the companies they are streaming towards…and away from. Southwest Airlines, long held up as a icon of servant leadership, employee engagement, and durable performance, has “LOVE” as its cause. SAS Institute, needing some of the world’s best knowledge workers to design, program, and test the company’s sophisticated database software, is a perennial leader in the list of Top Places to Work and has 2% employee turnover. SAS wants to transform the way the world works by giving people “the power to know.”

The same workers are also your customers–highly educated, networked, mobile, impatient–you get the point. Chances are, the stuff you ship and the services you provide are quickly becoming commodities. Why? Lots of global competitors offering similar stuff, price, service, and terms. Unless you also give your customers a CAUSE to believe in, reinforced by emotional connections made with your employees who also believe, you’re on your way to commoditization. Eventually, that leads to loss of market share, price competition, overcapacity, and enormous cost pressure. Investing in a cause seems to make sense, given the lousy alternatives…

Inspiration may be your company’s best path towards competitive differentiation.

Are you inspired by a compelling personal vision and purpose for your life?

Can you give your company something you don’t have?

What is your company’s compelling cause?

Does your enterprise enjoy the committed collaboration of its employees?

These are big questions…