The Purpose of Purpose

In Greek mythology, the deceitful king Sisyphus is doomed to spend eternity pushing a large boulder up a steep mountain, only to have it roll back down just before it reaches the top, forcing him to start over again. In another Greek myth, Penelope, wife of the absent Odysseus, sits all day at her loom, painstakingly weaving a burial shroud, only to unravel it each night and start again the next morning. The repetitive work of Sisyphus is frustrating and meaningless, and is designed as punishment, to torture its victim. What about Penelope’s? She has willingly chosen a task that appears on the surface to be no different from the burden of Sisyphus – doing, undoing, and redoing work. However, her work has great meaning. Her husband has not returned from war but she believes he is still alive. To ward off suitors while she waits for his return, she agrees to choose one of them as a new husband, but only when she finishes weaving the shroud on her loom. To buy time, she gladly commits to the repetitive job because it holds purpose. Even mundane activity can become meaningful when embedded in the richer context of purpose. Purpose is the magnetic pull that draws us into the future, giving meaning to our actions and injecting us with resilience to overcome stumbles along the way.

Work with Purpose

In 1942 the world was engulfed in war. It was believed that Nazi Germany was moving swiftly to develop the atomic bomb. Before war had broken out, Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, and other leaders in the scientific community of the free world had been alarmed that the United States was not responding urgently enough to counter the efforts of the Nazis. When President Roosevelt finally realized just how imminent the threat was, he responded by launching the Manhattan Project. For this top-secret mission, the best brains in science secretly gathered in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Their goal would be to beat Nazi Germany in unlocking the power of the nucleus and be first to build the atomic bomb.

At Los Alamos, Richard Feynman, only 24 years old, was appointed to a role we would today call the Chief Information Officer. He would lead a group of top math and science students from the best universities to serve as human computers; they would do all the detailed calculations to provide the data needed by the physicists. They used only slide rules and primitive calculators, so you can imagine how tedious, tiring, and boring the long hours of cranking out numbers quickly became for these students. They were unaware of the purpose of the mission, and the results reflected just how uninspired they were. The accuracy of their work left a lot to be desired, and their lagging pace frustrated the scientists as well.

Feynman realized that his team was not living up to its potential. It dawned on him that they were unmotivated because they had no clue what they were working on – what the purpose of the work was. He met with Robert Oppenheimer, one of the project leaders, and shared his frustration. They petitioned for and received clearance from the highest level of government to share the purpose of the project with these young students. After they were sworn to secrecy, the purpose of the project was revealed to them. Imagine how these students felt when they were told that the project for which they had been recruited was so awesome, important, and secret that the fate of the entire free world might depend on their work, their dedication, and their utmost discretion. Feynman found that in the following days the accuracy, pace, and amount of work produced by the students increased dramatically. They no longer thought of the work as a burden to bear, but as a responsibility to fulfill as their contribution to the noble purpose of saving the free world.

Leaders Inspire with Purpose

The most effective leaders have rallied people to action by articulating a noble purpose that rouses emotions. A noble purpose that grabs the heart is what fuels hope. It gives us the courage and fortitude to take a stand even when the present appears bleak. Abraham Lincoln is remembered for the Gettysburg Address, a speech that is only ten sentences long, which took Lincoln less than three minutes to deliver. It still stirs people today, because the speech is about purpose – invoking the principle of human equality spelled out in the Declaration of Independence, and exhorting citizens to ensure that “a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” John F. Kennedy mobilized a generation by urging them to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” From this purpose emerged the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, to name but two of the socially redeeming projects that ensued. Kennedy then challenged the nation to reach for the stars when in 1961 he declared that we will “land a man on the moon, and bring him back safely, by the end of the decade.” Thousands of students flocked to schools of science and engineering to be part of the dream.

You don’t have to be a historical giant to do what these famous leaders have done. The common thread in these inspiring calls for action is their brevity, simplicity and focus on value. A friend of ours, a project manager at a large network communications company, was charged with designing software for the home screen of a new smart phone. His tech savvy team was uninspired; for them it was just another software project. He realized that he had to shift their frame of mind and mobilize them around the purpose of their work. “We’re not just writing software code,” he told them. “Every one of us knows someone who is intimidated by technology. Our task is to make it more accessible. Our work touches people and will give everyone an equal chance to connect.” This shift in perspective galvanized the team and they came up with ideas that exceeded all expectations. He was amazed at the power of purpose.

Another team leader shared her experience after having the conversation about purpose with her team. She recognized that not only is team purpose important, but that each member should feel that their personal contribution is relevant and meaningful to the team purpose. In addition to the responsibilities they each shoulder as part of their job description, she asked them, “How would you like to uniquely contribute to this purpose? Is there anything you would like to bring to the project that would help us as a team?” She was amazed at the ideas that were offered, and in the process learned a lot about each person beyond their job role. She credits much of the innovative approach her team now uses to having simply asked this question.

Crafting a Statement of Purpose

Unfortunately, for many organizations, the purported purpose is so vague that it fails to generate any innovative thought for action, or is so mundane that it fails to inspire. “To be the world’s best in our industry” exemplifies the type of vague, self-centered statement that fails to generate a call for action. What constitutes best? Best at what? And why does it matter? Barbara Waugh, former Human Resources Director at Hewlett Packard, relays a crisis of purpose when the company decided to focus efforts to become “the world’s best industrial research lab.” She bemoaned that this purpose was too narrow, too inwardly focused, and that this dream was just not big enough. Instead of focusing inward, Barbara challenged the company to think outward – asking not how HP could be “The best industrial research lab in the world,” but instead “The best industrial research lab for the world.” By changing just one word, the purpose became expansive, noble, compelling, and contagious. Ideas for contributions to medicine, education, and the environment surged; people became passionate about their work and contributions they could make towards the purpose.

In an environment where purpose is clear and compelling, extraordinary outcomes accrue when people have the freedom to contribute in ways that both support the purpose and allow them the opportunity to shine. A leader should take every opportunity to inspire with purpose and give people a chance to bring their best self to work, to grow, and to become what they can be.