Where To Find More About Purpose

My writing about Joe Paterno's leadership failure, and the importance of focusing on your purpose, prompted my colleague, Bob Palumbo, General Manager at Stokes Creative Group, to ask for more information.  So, I sent him a previous column I wrote about figuring out what your company purpose is.

And that prompted me to create a new web page to list all the columns I've written about purpose.  I'm passionate about the importance and awesome power of purpose.  But until I got Bob's request, I didn't realize how often I've written about it.

So if you want more of my thoughts on the importance of your company (or department, team, etc.) purpose, here's where you can find other columns I've written on the awesome power of purpose:
Importance, Power of Purpose

To refresh your memory, in my November 11 post, I had said that focusing on the company purpose is always good whenever you're not sure what you should do.   And that when in doubt, you should use your purpose as a moral compass.  If Paterno had done this, he would have retired on his own terms, instead of having the Board of Trustees fire him.

Let me know what YOU think!

Avoid Paterno’s Leadership Failure by Focusing on Your Purpose

Leadership Unlimited
A Monthly Column by Terry Wall
November 2011: Avoid Paterno’s Leadership Failure by
Focusing on Your Purpose

Joe Paterno’s decision to coach the remaining games,
a decision later nullified by his firing, was a
leadership failure. By focusing on his purpose, he
should have seen that coaching out the schedule was a
terrible idea.

Learn from his leadership failure that you should use
your purpose as a moral compass to guide you in
making tough decisions.

I’ve said before that when we focus on the purpose,
we get ourselves and others more engaged in the work,
more committed to goals, and more productive in our
jobs.

But, whenever we’re faced with big decisions, we need
to ask whether a decision will promote the purpose,
or detract from it. Had Paterno done this, he should
have come to the inescapable conclusion that he
should NOT coach the rest of the season.

A former player said that Paterno had taught him and
his teammates to be men as opposed to the boys they
were when they came to Penn State as freshman. So I
see Paterno’s purpose as “transforming boys into
honorable men.”

Paterno was enabling a child predator to continue
abusing children, and he described this tragedy as
“one of the great sorrows of my life.” Why it wasn’t
the “greatest” sorrow, I don’t know.

But he should have asked himself if coaching the
remaining games might look like “business as usual,”
or not showing enough sorrow for the children who
were abused because of Paterno’s enabling.

He should have let his purpose, as his moral compass,
guide his actions.

If building honorable men means teaching them
leadership, personal responsibility, and compassion
and concern for others, then coaching out the season,
was NOT the right decision.

Some might think he was showing how you carry on with
determination when faced with adversity. I disagree.

Maybe you do that with a “personal” adversity, the
death of a loved one, or something like that. But
this was larger than any personal loss. This was a
tragedy of stunningly profound proportions, involving
the sexual abuse of totally innocent children.

The moral compass of building honorable men should
have shown him that this tragedy was bigger than Joe
Paterno, or the team, or the university. The best way
to build honorable men would have been to retire
immediately.

And, although Paterno isn’t the only person
responsible for this tragedy, focusing on his purpose
when he first discovered the abuse would have
prompted him to take appropriate action. That would have
prevented subsequent abuse.

Leaders take responsibility for their actions, and
have laser-like focus on their purpose.

In his decision to coach the remaining games, Joe
Paterno, a talented man who has done a lot of good,
didn’t focus on his purpose.

Know your purpose. Articulate it. Use it as your
moral compass.

Until next edition, keep leading the way!

Copyright (C) 2011 by Terry Wall

3 Reasons to Pursue Social Responsibility

It’s an important, yet often forgotten, aspect of corporate success. It’s so important that some companies actually list it as part of their purpose or values. It’s a way of making the world a better place. I’m talking about social responsibility.

btw, if you’re interested in an event that will definitely make the world a better place, click here: Roll for Hope

Social responsibility is the idea that companies should strive to make the world a better place. Although it can include their products and services, social responsibility also means contributing to society’s welfare outside of those products and services.

The concept means everything from supporting charitable causes to delivering products and services that are environmentally friendly. No matter how you define it, you should look at how you fulfill your social responsibility.

I can think of three reasons you should pursue social responsibility.

The first is that it’s the right thing to do. We all share an obligation to make the world a better place, to treat people with dignity and respect, to help those who are less fortunate than we are.

Social responsibility is good for society and the world in general, and it’s good for us as individuals. It makes us feel good, when we do the right thing.

The second reason is perhaps more selfish. Social responsibility helps us get ourselves and our employees more engaged in our work, because it ties into a sense of purpose. We as leaders should emphasize purpose, and social responsibility is yet another “noble cause.”

Previous columns ( Leadership Unlimited columns ) address the importance of purpose, so here I’ll just say that people are more engaged when they see themselves, and the work they do, as contributing to something bigger than themselves.

That’s why your business, your part of the organization, even your team, needs to have a purpose that inspires people. So, social responsibility, making a significant contribution outside of the actual work, is another way of helping employees feel engaged.

The third reason is the most selfish, and will appeal to those of you who think the first two reasons are too touchy-feely: Social Responsibility can generate great publicity, which will help get your company message out. This publicity can generate lots of business.

I prefer the first two reasons, that social responsibility, such as contributing to charitable causes, is the right thing to do; and it helps us see the bigger picture, and is part of a Noble Purpose.

What will you do to promote the greater good for society and the world?

Don’t forget to check out Roll for Hope  It’s a great cause, and will be a ton of fun!

I'm always interested in your feedback, so let me know what you think.