I say “discovered” rather than “decided” because getting clear on purpose is more like detective work than like creative work. What you are looking for is already there, waiting to be found—it is no more a decision than your child’s purpose is. Simply ask yourself: “On the basis of our current context and the resources, talents, and capacities at our disposal, the products or services we offer, the history of the company and its market space, and so on, what’s the deepest potential it can help create or manifest in the world? Why does the world need it?”
