You do not invent a higher purpose; you discover it.

From the feature article, Creating a Purpose-driven Organization of Harvard Business Review July-August 2018 issue about discovering purpose:

At a global oil company, we once met with members of a task force asked by the CEO to work on defining the organization’s purpose. They handed us a document representing months of work; it articulated a purpose, a mission, and a set of values. We told them it had no power—their analysis and debate had produced only platitudes.

Continuing on how purpose should be discovered:

The members of the task force had used only their heads to invent a higher purpose intended to capture employees’ hearts. But you do not invent a higher purpose; it already exists. You can discover it through empathy—by feeling and understanding the deepest common needs of your workforce. That involves asking provocative questions, listening, and reflecting.

And love this bit on the rising tide of purpose:

Purpose has become a popular topic. Even leaders who don’t believe in it face pressure from board members, investors, employees, and other stakeholders to articulate a higher purpose.

And just one more highlight about the power of purpose:

By connecting people with a sense of higher purpose, leaders can inspire them to bring more energy and creativity to their jobs. When employees feel that their work has meaning, they become more committed and engaged. They take risks, learn, and raise their game.

A wonderful and insightful issue of Harvard Business Review. Be sure to check it out.

And it’s always good to remind ourselves and repeatedly ask ourselves:

What’s our higher purpose?

Key Elements of a Great Vision

"Vision" is the ability to talk about the future with such clarity it is as if we are talking about the past. – Simon Sinek

We all know having a clear image of our goal, a vision, is important.

But what exactly is vision?

What are the key ingredients of vision?

Everybody has a different take on what vision is exactly. Jim Collins, author of the business classic Built to Last, defines vision as:

A well-conceived vision consists of two major components - core ideology and an envisioned future. Notice the direct parallel to the fundamental “persevere the core/stimulate progress” dynamic. A good vision builds on the interplay between these two complementary yin-and-yang forces: it defines “what we stand for and why we exist” that does not change (the core ideology) and sets forth “what we aspire to become, to achieve, to create” that will require significant change and progress to attain (the envisioned future).

Ken Blanchard, author of another business classic Full Steam Ahead! Unleash the Power of Vision in Your Work and Your Life, explains:

The three key elements of a compelling vision: Significant Purpose, Clear Values, A Picture of the Future.

These business definitions might feel complicated, so let’s take a look at the dictionary definition:

The act or power of seeing. - Merriam-Webster

In other words, in the simplest terms, vision is what you see if you travelled to the future. The phrase, picture of the future, expresses this well.

The Three Elements of a Picture of the Future
As part of my work as a brand consultant, I had the opportunity to study vision statements as well as helping companies formulate their vision.

I’ve observed that a picture of the future can contain all or some of the following parts:

1. What do you aspire to be?
2. How will who your serve (the customer) change or transform as a result of what you do?
3. How will the world, which you and your customer live in, change due to what you do?

So to have a comprehensive picture of the future, these are the three elements to think about and clarify.

On that note, I end with a question for you.

What does your picture of the future look like?

[REPORT] The Purpose City

Just came across this report from 2014 - The Purpose City: A New Urban Model for a New Generation of Urbanites.

The New Cities Foundation, NBBJ and Imperative convened 50 influential policy makers, scientists, start-up entrepreneurs, business leaders, designers, planners and citizens who, in a mix of debate and hands-on design exercises, discussed and developed new models of urban living for a new generation of purpose-driven consumers, professionals and citizens.

Beautifully formatted with lots of food for thought on how we can turn our cities into hubs of purpose. Plus a look at the workshops and the results.

You can also find a list of reports about purpose including this one here.