I believe that everyone and every organization with integrity has a purpose.
It’s our purpose that allows us to innovate in ways that no one else can, and that draws others to us. It’s what allows us to achieve real breakthroughs.
This is why, when I give keynote speeches, one of the main points I make is the importance of following the mission.
You can get lots more done for a lot less money in a lot less time by sticking to yours and your organization’s mission, which is directly aligned with your purpose.
-XCOR Aerospace started with nothing but the well-defined dream of four out-of-work engineers, and is now a profitable rocket shop about to launch its first spaceship. From my profile on the company:
“[XCOR CEO] Greason says ‘we work with [an] organization to solve their problem, but we do it because it’s advancing the work on the tools we need to solve our problem. That’s the way we avoid becoming a we’ll-do-anything-for-a-contract sort of shop.’”
-SpaceX started in a garage, is now hauling cargo to and from the International Space Station. Just last week, it demonstrated the very first controlled reentry and propulsive splashdown of an orbital booster rocket, with the goal of creating reusable boosters. From my report published this week:
“‘The reuse must be both rapid and complete,’ said [SpaceX CEO] Musk in the press conference, ‘like an aircraft or a car or something like that. If you have to disassemble and reassemble a car and change a bunch of parts in between driving it, it would make it quite expensive.’”
SpaceX’s customer, NASA, is not asking for reuse, and SpaceX is the only launch provider striving to achieve it. But you can bet that when SpaceX succeeds, every other provider will have to scramble to follow or go out of business.
What’s your purpose?
A longer version of this post appeared in my newsletter. Sign up here: .
According to my dog, my purpose is to steer the laser pointer.
That’s why your dog only thinks you work for him. (But why does your dog think he/she is a cat?)
I’ve sometimes made this same point in various forums using different language: Unless a person is an utter sociopath with no imagination, they probably want money for a reason that isn’t just “more money,” so it’s better to make decisions based on that reason than to chase money as an end in itself.
Every person, every organization, every business, every government that is aware of this does better in the long-run than those indoctrinated in the idea that profit-maximization is the North Star of an economy. The fact is that these ‘zombie’ businesses which do operate mindlessly and soullessly according to simple, immediate profit-maximization are cancerous and destructive to civilization. I would hope business schools start teaching people the doctrine of SpaceX and Tesla, and warn them away from the doctrine of Wal-Mart.
Nicely put, Brian!