When organisations do not act congruently with their Purpose and Values, then, for these organisations, it is a race to the bottom!
 
I have seen it so many times in large and small organisations, in schools and sporting teams – the place starts to implode – performance declines, selfishness ensues, people turn inwards and sometimes, lives are destroyed.  The Manly Sea Eagles Pride jersey fiasco was a timely reminder of how important it is for organisations to live their Values and serve their Purpose – since round 20, back in July the Sea Eagles have not won a game!
 
Last week, a good friend and client, defended his employer in the wake of its fairly superficial ‘Wear it Purple Day’ campaign, saying, “They are trying to do the right thing … they just need some consistency in how they treat people.” I replied, “I don’t agree – I think the business wants to be SEEN to be doing the right thing but if it was serious about DOING the right thing, then it would treat people much more consistently – inconsistency usually indicates that people don’t actually believe in or understand what they are doing – this leads to all sorts of inconsistent and often, despicable behaviour.” Interestingly, my friend replied, “I agree with you! The business doesn’t understand what they are here to do (their Purpose) and so, they do this sort of disingenuous branding and marketing stuff … Everyone can see it, including our clients and alumni.”
 
Last week, a young woman jumped from her office window in Sydney. No doubt, the reasons are manifold and complex but there is a crisis happening in this wealthy country and all leaders must do better to protect the health and wellbeing of the people around them. Understanding what our Purpose is, what we are here to do and ensuring that everything we do is aligned to that Purpose will, at least, stop some of the reasons for people feeling marginalised and ostracised, and help promote feelings of inclusion and belonging – and this is what ‘Wear it Purple Day’ is all about. 
 
The power of Purpose is how we start to transform our damaged world – It’s not too late.