THE MEANING OF PURPOSE

Pundits say the Millennials started it, “it” being the search for meaning or purpose in work and in life.

Others assert that, if we replace “purpose” with “mission,” the corporate purpose – or defining the reason for being – has been a mainstay of American business for decades.  It just got overlooked with new words, new fads.

Setting the “whys” aside, going beyond the bottom line has never been so popular.  Themes like sustainability and corporate social responsibility are endemic – and baked into almost every business’ Web site, annual report, news releases, and the like.  Changing the world is de rigueur these days, whether it was sparked by President Obama’s 2008 campaign rhetoric or through the latest malaises of employees.

Lofty goals, though, aren’t necessarily captured in words.  [Though many of us, at times, delightedly put on our wordsmithing hats.]  Case in point:  Peruse a few Fortune 1000 Web sites.  How many purposes are distinctive, differentiated?  Do the statements truly marry what the company does with its higher goals?  What words crop up … again and again and again?  Finally, think about credibility; can you believe, truly believe in the ‘purpose’ statement?

If ‘no’ is the answer to the last question, then consider, carefully, the reactions of Generation Xs and Ys.  If authenticity doesn’t ring loud and clear to them, the organization might need to re-purpose its meaning.  Or at least research and re-jigger it.  Besides, according to a study from a Yale professor of organizational behavior, not everyone wants to change the world – only about one-third of us do.

A thought:  Maybe, just maybe, the meaning of purpose should be in the business actions we share, not the words we say.

WHAT CSR COULD REALLY MEAN

There’s much talk these days about Millennial engagement – or disengagement, depending on the workplace you’re now inhabiting.

Actually, it’s more than idle conversation:  Executives, HR leaders, consultants, and professional pundits fill the media with analyses (psychological and otherwise), statistics, and good old solutions.  How do we retain and recruit this generation?  What’s the magic bullet?  Do we, can we truly understand this cohort?

In our head, the answer’s found in three letters many companies embrace:  CSR, or corporate social responsibility.  Today many of us recognize that Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life applies not just to individuals, but also to organizations.  The sense of contributing to a larger good, whether that means creating and implementing sustainable food strategies or lifting up the communities in which we work, is pervasive and, often, genuine.   That calling, experts say, motivates us to be more productive, toil longer hours, and be less likely to dial in sick or bolt for another position. 

But.  Many Millennials yearn to be on the CSR frontlines, actively, daily, even hourly making a difference.  The occasional service day won’t suffice.  Neither will a sense of belonging to a company that practices good. 

On the other hand, there are all too few dedicated CSR positions, for-profit or not.  [Our prediction:  The economy’s ebbs and flows will dictate an ever-decreasing number.]  And this M generation, not unlike the Boomers, has little patience for waiting.

Why not embed CSR in every individual’s job description, then?  Those fueled by the mission for a better tomorrow will automatically integrate at least a few sentences – and actively look for appropriate ways to contribute … in addition to their full-time gigs.  We’ve seen it happen:  The thoroughly blasé become enthusiastic; the slackers, actually engaged.  The kicker word is, of course, “appropriate.”  Every people manager must be trained on CSR’s meaning, what is acceptable (and not so much).  As should every employee at every level. 

It’s the meaning that matters, after all.