John B. Izzo's Blog, page 3

The One Mindset That Changes Everything

Today I want to talk about the one mindset that changes everything. It’s the one mindset that makes everything possible but that we rarely mention. This week has me thinking about mindset because there are so many good things happening now, amid so many difficult things.

In some countries, such as the USA, vaccines are rolling out and leading us to hope for the end of the pandemic. In other places like Canada, cases are spiking and lockdowns are once again on the increase. The economy is picking up, but we are seeing signs that climate change is accelerating globally with crops showing evidence of stress damage caused by less moisture and more heat. Everyday, we are finding reasons to be optimistic while feeling equally pessimistic. So, which do we choose: optimism or pessimism?

Research shows that optimistic people are more resilient, happier and have better immune systems. Optimism is hope and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something while pessimism is the tendency to see the worst aspect of things or to lack confidence in the future. So, when there are reasons for both, why choose optimism?

In my book Stepping Up, I make the point that optimism helps us to step up and move towards action. When we assume something can get better, whether it is a social problem like racism, an environmental problem like climate change, a personal relationship that needs improving or a business challenge, we naturally move to take action. Because we believe something CAN change, we are motivated to do all that we can. If, on the other hand, we assume that nothing can be done – that racism is inevitable, that it is too late to do something about climate change, that my partner will never change or that the challenges in my business are insurmountable, it moves us to be passive, and to step back.

Optimism is simply the practical choice.

I was in the room once when someone asked Al Gore if he ever got gloomy about climate change and the Earth’s future. He said, “No, because it isn’t practical!” In other words, the moment we give in to pessimism, we start stepping back.

So, whenever you find yourself giving in to pessimism, remember it is a choice. There are usually reasons to be optimistic and reasons to be pessimistic, but optimism opens us up to think about possibilities and actions we can take right now. Make a choice! I vote for Optimism.

People often ask me if I am hopeful about the future of humanity and I always answer yes. First, because I am and second, because holding that view keeps me writing, speaking, and doing everything I can to make sure it turns out that way.

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Four Steps for More Purpose in 2021

Here is a great question to start the new year: How can you have a greater sense of purpose in 2021 in your work and life? As a challenging 2020 passes on (…good riddance in many ways…), now is the time to get disciplined about purpose for the year ahead. I want to start your year with Four Simple Practical Steps to have more purpose every day this year!

As you know I have been writing, speaking about and coaching purpose for almost thirty years. Research shows that people who have a sense of purpose in work and life are more engaged, more productive, happier, live longer and even have stronger immune systems.

So here are the Four Steps:

Revisit Your Purpose & Confirm It

The first step to more purpose in the new year is to NAME your purpose. By naming our purpose we remind ourselves what matters to us and what we are here to do. If you have never named your purpose before, take time to ask: What do I most want to contribute? How do I want to impact others and the world every day? What would people miss if I weren’t around? In my book The Purpose Revolution we show you step by step how to find your purpose and lead it in your team.

If you already have a named purpose, then spend some time early in the new year reflecting if it still fits. While our core purpose doesn’t often change, it is always good to revisit it-to ensure it still feels right and make subtle changes.

Read it Every Day then Make it REAL Now

Once you have named it or confirmed it, then here is an important DAILY step. Take time every day to read your purpose, ideally at the start of your day or workday. Every day I remind myself that my purpose is to “help accelerate the shift of consciousness needed for humanity to thrive in the future and to help people live more intentional contributory lives while embodying compassion.” By reading it to start every day we are reminding ourselves of the WHY, not just the task list. Then think about your day ahead, asking “Where might I best live that purpose today in the activities ahead of me?”

Have a Daily Purpose Gratitude Moment

As you go through your day, there will be moments when you get to live your purpose. Some days there will be several. So, at the end of EVERY day in 2021, take a few moments to reflect on how you DID live your purpose that day. Just by noticing the small ways we live our purpose provides not only a greater experience of being on purpose but also important hints as how to live it more deeply. What we pay attention to grows. By remembering moments we were on purpose, we grow more of them.

Do a Monthly Purpose Check In

Finally, if purpose matters, then it deserves a monthly check in. Research shows that people who regularly check in to see how they are doing make more progress just like people who weigh themselves every day eat differently than those who don’t or so the research says! Is being more ON PURPOSE worth an hour a month? I think so. So, take an hour of devoted time each month. Make a list of all the ways you were on purpose the past month and where there were opportunities lost. Focus on the month ahead and ask-what are a few steps I WILL take this month to move towards purpose?

Discipline is Destiny

As many of you know, I have a saying I use with leaders that DISCIPLINE IS DESTINY. It is our habits, the practices we are disciplined to do every day and month that create our present and future. By practicing these simple steps with DISCIPLINE, meaning we do them whether in the mood or not, we shape our reality.

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Lisa’s Story- Helping People Discover Their Purpose

As many of you know I have spent much of my life and career focused on helping leaders create purpose focused organizations that add value to society while also succeeding as an organization. To do this, one of the prime tasks of a leader (or a parent, teacher, or coach for that matter) is to discover their own purpose and to help others discover and activate their individual purpose. But how do we help others find their purpose and how does it change our leadership once we know their purpose?

Lisa’s Story

One of my favorite experiences was when we were working with a major law firm on refining their purpose. At the start, each person in the organization was led through a process to name their purpose and to identify how to live that purpose more fully at work. Everyone from the senior partners on through the ranks went through this activity.

Lisa was the main receptionist at the HQ of the firm. When it came time to share her purpose, she said this: “I have never really thought about purpose, but having done this exercise, I now realize my purpose. All my life I have been a happy, optimistic person. I’m not sure why, I just am. But many people are neither happy nor optimistic. My purpose is that every person who interacts with me all day long, for three seconds or three minutes, gets a shot of happiness and optimism and feels a little better about the world than before they met me.”

What is most interesting is what happened in the weeks that followed. Lisa said she found a new passion for her work as all day she looked for ways to live her purpose in small but meaningful ways. Harold, her manager, suddenly found it easier to recognize Lisa living her purpose at work and commenting when he saw it.

The other thing that happened, which we have witnessed in hundreds of organizations, is what happens when everyone identifies their purpose, shares it with the team, and they all begin to think about how to live it more fully at work.

Three Questions to Help People Identify Their Purpose

Ever wonder how to help others (and yourself) find your purpose?

Here are three powerful questions that can help you name it:

When you come to the end of a day, and really feel it mattered that you got up in the morning and that you contributed, what is it that gives you that feeling?If you were missing from your team, your organization, or family & friends, what would people really miss? What is the way you uniquely contribute?What did you love to do as a child say when you were ten years old, and what really irritated you about the world?

You can find other questions to help focus your purpose in my book The Purpose Revolution.

And as you probably know, research shows that when we live with purpose as we work and conduct our personal lives, we are happier, we have stronger immune systems, we live longer and perform better.

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What is the Cure for Exhaustion?

I conducted a webinar this week with 100 leaders in the health care sector. During the webinar, we conducted a poll asking these leaders what one word best described how they are feeling at work right now. Over sixty percent chose one of these three words: exhausted, tired, frustrated. And the #1 choice was exhausted.

Given the current COVID crisis, this was not too surprising but the magnitude of it really stood out for me. The choices we gave them were: Excited, Engaged, Centered, Tired, Frustrated and Exhausted. I wonder how you would answer that question as a leader? Also, it’s worth asking how your people might answer?

I’ve Got the Cure for Exhaustion

So, if you are feeling exhausted right now, one might wonder what the cure is? I’m guessing your first response is probably the obvious one: Rest. Since we associate exhaustion with a depletion of resources, surely stepping back is the solution. But what if the cure for exhaustion is not to step back, but to step in?

Years ago, I heard a Catholic monk say that “The cure for exhaustion is not necessarily rest, sometimes the cure is WHOLEHEARTEDNESS!” To me this word is about having our whole heart in what we are doing. It’s about bringing all of the “self” to our work. It’s about having a deep sense of personal purpose that makes all effort worthy.

My grandfather was a ship builder who spent long hours at the docks working on ships. He used to talk about having a “good tired” at the end of the day. A “good tired” is when we have spent all our energy, but it feels like we spent it in a way that left us more alive.

Now is the Time to Lean into Purpose

This is a time when we are asking more of our people than ever. There are lots of changes they need to adopt including a shift to virtual business dealings. The economic conditions mean having to stay nimble and open to innovation. There is fatigue about the COVID virus and all the daily precautions that have made life stressful. All of this means now is the time to step in towards your Purpose.

Frederick Nietzsche once said, “A person can endure any how if they only have a why.” Research has shown that people and teams with a sense of purpose perform better and stay more resilient during challenging times than those without it.

Stepping Towards Purpose in your Work

So, what does it mean to step into purpose right now as leaders?

It means taking the time to remind our teams why our products and services matter, including telling stories (and making space for telling stories) about how we are really making a difference right nowIt means communicating your own personal purpose and reminding everyone that during a difficult time we can make a difference for team members, customers, and even strangers by showing up with optimism, compassion and hopeIt means doubling down on our personal purpose. Every day reminding yourself what your purpose is and finding ways to live it all day long. It means celebrating at the end of the day and recognizing the ways you got to live itIt means that companies with a purpose bigger than profits focus on really being there for customers, team members and communities RIGHT now so that we are proud of how we engaged with this moment

The Soft Overcomes the Hard

On the web session with those health leaders this week, I reminded people that purpose may seem like a soft thing. But as Lao Tzu the Chinese philosopher once said, “The soft overcomes the hard, everyone knows it, but few practice it.”

This is the time to step towards purpose not away from it. While rest is important, it may just be that we need wholeheartedness even more.

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Do You Want to Go Back to Normal?

Video by Dr. John Izzo

This week I want to ask an important question: When the COVID-19 crisis abates, do you want to go back to the old normal? That question has been on my mind since I saw a survey in the UK that showed only one in ten Brits (9%) said they wanted to go back to the way things were.

Now, of course, there are some things we all want to return to normal: We want to be free from fear of getting sick, we want to visit our family and friends, we want the economy to improve and we want to travel again. But, at a deeper level, do we really want to just go back?

The UK study showed that people are more intentional about reaching out to family and friends, feel closer to their community, are enjoying eating at home, and they notice the environment is better. A majority (54%) said they planned to make lifestyle changes going forward.

This mirrored the results of a fatherhood study we just conducted for The Men’s Initiative at The University of British Columbia, where I am a faculty member. We conducted focus groups with fathers to discover their experience being a parent during COVID-19. The vast majority of fathers feel closer to their children, feel more valued as dads, and are experiencing more family time, including meals together. More than half of them said they did not want to just go back to the same old: time starved, work ‘til you drop, overscheduled family life they had before the pandemic. Many noticed they were working less, spending less, and driving less – and they liked it!

Business is Also Experiencing a New Normal

My clients have also reported ways the pandemic has transformed the way they operate, and how these changes will improve their future work lives. They have discovered that a great deal more can be accomplished virtually than they ever thought possible, have discovered that many people can work productively at home (and like it), and report feeling even more connected as a team and have forged new connections with their customers as they work hard to understand their needs.

Clients are also telling me that they are accomplishing things at speeds that seemed impossible. One insurance industry client told me they achieved an entire digital transformation of their business in less than three weeks, something they were told would take two years previously. Shorn of bureaucracy with a new sense of urgency, they were able to get things done- and fast!

Society Is Also Shifting

The sense that the old normal wasn’t working is also being experienced throughout society. People around the world have noticed that nature is thriving while we shut down and they also realize that we were poorly prepared for this crisis. Businesses are doubling down on commitments to tackle climate change now- the next crisis in waiting.

The pandemic has also put a spotlight on the inequality in our economy. While some had the privilege of “sheltering in place,” others were unable to pay the rent and had to go to work risking their lives or had their jobs lost overnight. The video of George Floyd dying with the knee of a police officer on his neck in Minneapolis has ignited an outcry for justice across the globe and pressured CEO’ and companies to take a bolder stand on social issues. Do we really want to go back to the same unequal, unjust and nature destroying normal?

Some Powerful Questions to Ask Yourself

Now is the time to ask yourself three important questions

What have you noticed about your personal life during COVID that you want to keep when things go back to normal?What shifts have you noticed in your team or business that you want to maintain when the virus recedes?What have you noticed about society that you want to help fight to make different going forward?

Transition is a time when many of us ask these kinds of questions. As the old saying goes “don’t let a good crisis go to waste!”

For me, here are three things that stand out:

I want a more local life with more spaciousness in my time when this is overI want to continue to have major impact in the virtual world in my business without having to fly all over the place and I want to be focused on the important not just the urgent in my businessI want to work even harder for a more equitable and sustainable world

Link to the UK Study

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Growing Purpose Amid the COVID Crisis

I was asked during a recent interview how the COVID-19 crisis will impact the Purpose movement in organizations. With large parts of the economy shut down, unemployment rising, consumers focused on basic security and many companies struggling to survive, what does COVID-19 mean for a purpose focused company?

When I was asked the question, I hearkened back to a similar question asked of me during the financial crisis in 2008. I rightly predicted that while there might be a temporary focus on “security”, that the underlying trend towards a desire for purpose among employees and consumers would grow through and past the crisis. I have little doubt this time around that purpose will remain a large driver of employee and customer choice in the years ahead.

The Real Issue-How to Lead with Purpose NOW?

The real issue that ought to keep us up as leaders right now is: What does it mean to lead with purpose during this crisis? This past week, the Chief HR Officer of a large bank told me, “This is the time when people are really making up their mind about our purpose. For years, we have been telling our customers and team members that we exist to make lives better and now they are seeing that we meant it!” She went on to say that the years spent focusing on purpose have become a source of deep engagement as all their banking customers, both personal and corporate, struggle to survive.

Make no mistake that during this time, we as companies and as leaders are being watched. Are we there for our customers, putting purpose over profits? Do we demonstrate proactive engagement with the challenges society is facing right now? Do we demonstrate compassion for our team members and their families as they face uncertainty and fear?

The airwaves are awash with ads from companies trying to show their commitment to purpose during this time. While expressing gratitude for all of us staying home and expressing thanks for the frontline workers who are risking life for all our benefit is appropriate, it seems to me to be nothing but table stakes. Of course, we expect you to say that. What we want to know is what you are doing that is beyond the norm?

A Simple Exercise

Answering the question of what it means to go beyond the norm isn’t easy, but I am going to suggest a simple exercise to consider. Try it both for yourself as a leader and for your organization.

Write your purpose at the top of the page.

Identify the key stakeholder groups for you and for the organization. Those groups might be team members, customers, community, and business partners.

Then ask, what would it mean to live your purpose at three levels. The first level: doing what is expected of me/us, the second level: going the extra mile, the third level: going way beyond what is expected.

There is no simple or right answer to each question, but asking the question can make a big difference.

You are likely to find that stretching
yourself might not be as hard as you think and that it might provide a much
deeper sense of purpose than you ever imagined. Purpose and the desire for
purpose will outlast this virus and may even grow as people see the direct impact
that companies and leaders have on their everyday lives. But make no mistake,
there will be only this one opportunity to demonstrate to all your stakeholders
that your purpose is for real.

Stay well, lead with purpose.

John

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Reflections On The Time We Are Living In

Over the last few weeks, I have found myself strangely
silent. As someone who has made his living and whose life purpose has been
meant to inspire the human spirit and bring hope, I have felt some internal
pressure to speak. Not because anyone expects me to, nor because I feel my
words somehow have weight, but most of all because the work of a writer and
speaker is to make sense of things. I also fervently hope I might say something
that would be helpful to others, even to myself. So, to help those who are searching
for advice or in need, I want to share some reflections on living in the times
we now find ourselves in.

First, I want to recognize the pain, fear and loss
that many are experiencing. People saying goodbye to loved ones in a time when
they will be seen as only a number in a growing tally, people who’ve lost their
work and livelihood overnight and worry how they will survive, for those now
lonely and isolated, for whole nations losing a sense of order including my
ancestral homeland of Italy and for the fear that grips many of us. One of the
small silver linings here is that unlike Spanish Flu which mostly killed
younger people, this time it is mostly those older (including those my age) who
are most at risk. It may seem a small thing, but it does mean that most who die
will have already lived many good years.

I also want to express deep gratitude to those who
keep serving with great courage during this time: to all the healthcare workers
who, often without the proper protection risk their lives to save those who can
be saved, to the grocery, utility and delivery workers for their day to day
courage so they can keep our basic functions possible. We will owe them, in the
end, as much gratitude as we do to veterans who risked life on the front lines
of wars past. If you see one of them, please let them know how grateful we are.

So here are some of my reflections about the times we are living through. I find myself very grateful now to have read so many first-person accounts of those who lived through great challenges in the past. People like Victor Frankl who survived the concentration camps, a woman in Rwanda who lost her entire family and hid in a small basement closet for months living on a few morsels of bread and coming within moments of dying every day, and as well the first-hand accounts of my own grandparents who lived through a war and raised three girls during the Great Depression, and the tales of my stepfather who fought in Europe for two years during the Great War. I find this helpful because it reminds me how powerful the human spirit is. As hard as these times are, we can individually and collectively remain hopeful even if this period of challenge lasts for some time. The human spirit is resilient. We have it in each of us and those who have done so before us remind us of the courage we all have within.

Another reflection I have is that when we are presented with great challenge, there comes an opportunity to find out who we truly are. It is only when much is asked of us that we find out our truest nature. As Jane Goodall said this week, “This will bring out the best and the very worst of human nature.” Each day, we each have a chance to lean into our goodness. Who needs our help? Even if I get the disease and suffer or die, can I do everything I can to ensure the virus does not spread for the sake of others? If I have much, will I give to those who have less? Do I keep my employees on the payroll, even at my own expense because it is the right thing to do? Am I being sensitive to the needs to my own loved ones as they deal with all of this differently than I do? One day, we will all look back and remember the choices we made.

It is also critical to keep our mindset, as hard as it
is, in the largest perspective. As I drove back from California to Canada
through the mountains of Idaho, I was struck by the fact that all of nature is continuing
as it was. There will be human suffering, a great deal perhaps, but life
continues to thrive, perhaps ironically, even more now as our industrial
enterprise has grinded to a halt. Somehow, I find this comforting. Humanity’s
journey will also go on and hopefully with more wisdom than before.

I cannot help but think of an experience I shared
earlier this year from my second walk on the Camino.

There is a place on the Camino called the Cruz De
Ferro where thousands of pilgrims have left rocks to symbolize their journey
over a 1,200 year period. There are untold number of rocks there, including two
from my two visits. When one arrives at this place, it is easy to feel small as
if our one rock matters little. But the other experience is of great
connection, the awareness that our one rock is part of a larger conversation
that began before us and will go on after us. I find it comforting to know this
has always been so. I have often said that the greatest human flaw is the
experience of separation.

My final reflection is to make sure to find a purpose in this moment. Victor Frankl said those who survived the concentration camps were those who had a reason to live, and this reason was often to be of service to others. It is hard to find a sense of calling when we are holed up in isolation or filled with fear. Yet somehow that sense of purpose is just the thing we need to get us through. One of my simple places to find purpose is checking in with my friends and acquaintances much more regularly. Just knowing we are not alone is a great gift, and one each of us can give now every day.

For now, I want to wish all of you great love and
courage. There will be light on the other side of this however hard it may be
to see it. Those who came before us lived though much hardship and we are all
ancestors of survivors, people who found the courage to weather hardship and
find hope.

Wishing you all a blessing. Stay safe, do good, stay
hopeful.

John

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Setting Intentions for 2020

Happy New Year to all. Just set my 2020 intentions. I’ve done this for many years now and almost always in a warm place. This time I am in Barbados with my dear friends. I’ve been amazed how many of my intentions have led to real changes in my life and work. I call them INTENTIONS not GOALS for a reason. Intentions are directional rather than goals, which are narrow.

My first intention is a desire to be more generous in 2020. I don’t know all the ways I can be more that way but day to day I will discover them.

My next intention is a desire to be even more kind to my partner, Janice. I will develop this intention mindful that goals can limit while intentions expand in limitless ways, so I can follow my heart.

Another intention is to spend more time with people who are really trying to shift humanity to a thriving future.

Many people set New Year’s Resolutions but here is the problem: the average resolution is broken within 24 hours. Intentions are more alive.

My process is simple for making intentions and living them. Every day this year I will read my intentions in the morning. Once a week I will visit them longer to see how I did and generate ideas for the week ahead. Once a month, I will have a longer honest sit down and a few areas to focus for the month ahead.

So what are your intentions for 2020 and your process for staying on it?

Blessed new year to all!

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What I Learned About Leadership From A Pile of Rocks

I want to tell you what I learned about
leadership from a pile of rocks. I want to suggest that one of the most
important roles of a leader is to help people see why their rock matters.

As many of you know, this summer I walked
the Camino de Santiago for the second time. This six- hundred mile trek across
the North of Spain has been walked for over 1,200 years. Originally an
exclusively Christian pilgrimage, it is now walked by many others for different
personal reasons.

At one of the highest points on the Camino
there is a place called the Cruz de Ferro (pictured here) where a tall iron
cross sits on a tiny mound. Tradition has it that pilgrims bring a rock from
home to symbolize their journey. When I arrived for the first time, I was
struck by the thousands of rocks that have piled up over the centuries.

Now there are one of two reactions you can have when you arrive. The first is to be aware of how insignificant your rock is. After all, yours is just one of SO many rocks-: What does it matter to throw one more on the pile? The opposite reaction is to be aware that your rock is part of a journey humans have been taking for a millennium. Your rock connects you to everyone who has walked before and everyone who will come after.

What Does This Have To Do With Leadership?

It occurs to me that leadership is all
about helping people see that their “rock” matters. Our job is to connect
the work our team members do and the work our organization does, to the larger
conversation. The work we do is only a small part of our customers’ lives, but
by doing that work we are helping them live their best life. Our company may be
involved in doing good work in the community or trying to create a more
sustainable planet, and that work may seem small. Alone, our company cannot
solve these challenges, but if leaders help people see that “our rock” is part
of a much larger effort, we together will collectively shape the future.

This is even true in our work as people
leaders. We may be only one of many who help mentor team members, provide them
valuable feedback, help them connect to a network for their career- but by
putting our “rock” on the pile, we will help them build a great career. Each
generation also adds our “rock” and if we are wise, we join all the humans
before us who have tried to build a better world. Those who come after us will also
add their rocks to the pile.

This week I spoke to an organization that is trying to take their purpose to new levels by focusing on new efforts to improve the health of communities. They are doing their part to achieve the sustainable development goals set for the world. In my keynote to their 200 leaders, I shared my pilgrimage story. I encouraged them to see how important their rock was: How their company is part of a sustainable future, a part of creating healthier lives for communities, how small rocks add up to building mountains, how even small efforts to improve the organization’s processes create more margin for their mission, how they as leaders could “pile” on in a positive way to shape the lives of team members.

So please, take your rock and add it to the
pile. It may seem small, but your rock matters more than you think.

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Boeing And The Purpose Paradox

I want to talk to you this week about what
I call the Purpose Paradox, which happens when a short term focus on profits
serves a company well in the interim, but the long run strategy needs to be focused
on the well being of customers and society. It is simply good business to
keep purpose at the helm when navigating strategy. Boeing lost sight
of that and is paying a huge price.

As many of you know, Boeing is one of the
largest and most successful companies in the world. They also happen to be in a
load of trouble right now. While you may not think of the 737 MAX grounding
as a lesson about corporate purpose, I think we can understand the mess they
are in happened because they lost sight of their purpose.

How Boeing Got in Trouble

Without boring you with a long history of
the Boeing 737, let me make it as simple as I can. The 737 was designed in
1964. It is the highest selling plane in commercial history. The plane has been
redesigned many times over, in fact, too many times. Pilots will tell you that
every new version of the 737 is harder to fly than the one before it for one
simple reason. It costs a lot of money to design a new plane and a total redesign
also triggers the requirement for expensive pilot re-training.  But under competitive pressure from Airbus,
Boeing decided to re-design the 737 one more time.

In order to make the plane more efficient,
Boeing needed a bigger engine, but this posed a problem. The bigger engine couldn’t
sit on the existing wing without redesigning the aircraft. That would take time
and it would cost money, so they built a plane that isn’t as aerodynamic and is
more likely to stall – meaning you lose lift, so down you go.

When Boeing realized this, they needed a
fix, so they put in software that would push the nose down without assistance
from the pilots to correct the stall. So basically, they designed a plane that
isn’t right and built software to try to overcome it. It was all about money,
all about profits. Then they made critical safety alarms “optional” and didn’t
even tell pilots about the new system which had NEVER been on a commercial
aircraft ever before! Why? You guessed it…profits!

Here is What Happens When

You Focus on Profits Not

Purpose

The 737 MAX has now been grounded for most
of this year. It probably won’t fly again until sometime in 2020 and surveys
show passengers are afraid to fly it. U.S. flight attendants are even
threatening to “refuse to work on it” and Boeing’s reputation is diminished
perhaps for years to come. Orders are down, the stock has gone down, and the
company has been demonized.

Not only does losing sight of purpose
impact customer opinion but it also impacts the employees’ sense of purpose.
An executive at Boeing told me that when the MAX issue came to light, when over
300 people lost their lives in two plane crashes, employees were in tears at
the factory that assembles the MAX. We now know that some insiders expressed
lots of concern about the design but their concerns weren’t heeded. Given that
employees are the most believable spokespeople when it comes to purpose for a
company, Boeing is in trouble.

Imagine for a moment if Boeing had
put its purpose in the driver’s seat? Imagine if the number one priority had
been to do the right thing? They would have taken a little more time, spent a
little more money, built a safe product, and in the long run grown their
reputation with clients, customers and employees. Let me say I don’t think
anyone at Boeing is evil or intended for people to die. But purpose was not in
the driver’s seat.

Qantas Airlines Knows The

Purpose Paradox

As if Boeing didn’t have enough troubles,
the previous versions of the 737 have now been found to have cracks in a
critical part that helps hold the wings to the plane (hmm seems important to me!).
The FAA ordered all 737 NGs of a certain age to be inspected within seven days,
newer ones to be inspected over the next six months.

Qantas was a client of mine for four
years and I know the safety culture there very well. More importantly, I know
they put “safety” above all else. When Qantas found cracks this past week in a
plane newer than an age where the FAA expected cracks to appear, Qantas
immediately decided to inspect all their planes in seven days. Andrew David,
their domestic CEO whom I know personally, came out publicly to make that
commitment, saying “We will never fly an unsafe plane.” They are going above
and beyond what the regulators are requiring.

Contrast that with two major US Carriers:
United and American. They are simply saying that they are following the FAA.
They have not been transparent about how many planes they have inspected or
when they will inspect them, even though they have scores of planes of the same
age as the ones Qantas has already grounded. Once again here is the purpose
paradox. Qantas knows that focusing on purpose now buys safety and long term
loyalty, while United and American are choosing inaction, which I think is a
HUGE mistake.

The Foolish Bottom Line

So, here is the foolish bottom line: Where
is the purpose paradox alive right now in your company or team? Where are you
focusing on short term profits when you should be focusing on the long term
best interest of your clients and society? Boeing has just found out the hard
way that when you focus on profits, you lose sight of purpose and when you
focus on purpose, you produce profits. It isn’t too late for Boeing but if they
don’t see this as a major wake-up call, their troubles will surely continue.

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