The power of higher purpose

Leaders must never forget that organisations are defined by their people and people have emotions. The sense of purpose is how you bring together people who share the values the organisation holds dea

When you look at champions across all walks of life, do you ever wonder what drives them, what is the force that motivates them to push the limits of endurance and achieve greatness? What made Karamveer Singh Kang, the general manager of Taj Mumbai, rush to the property from another hotel during the 26/11 siege and lead the rescue operations? Even after losing his family to the terrorist attack, he told his father, "I will be the last man out." 11 employees of Taj Mumbai lost their lives while valiantly saving the guests. What makes people rise to the occasion and become heroes? What distinguishes great companies from others? It is a sense of purpose. Higher purpose is not just a lofty word, it is as real as you and me, it is as practical as business. When people are connected by this sense of purpose the whole organisation moves in tandem. The small problems and issues become insignificant, differences disappear, inconveniences don't matter and people put their heart and soul into achieving the purpose.

Higher purpose is the glue that binds people to an organisation. Organisations are defined by their people and people have emotions, which as leaders we must never forget. The sense of purpose is how you connect to that emotion, how you bring together people who share the values that the organisation holds dear. It's not enough to define an over arching vision statement. People must identify with it, feel that it belongs to them and that it defines not the 'what' of their job, but the question 'why'. I can find no better example in today's world than Apple.

When people have a purpose, it also becomes the guiding principle to day- to-day decision-making. Greatness is found in everyday lives, not just in crisis situations. I will always remember the audit partner who had to take a call on the accounts of a company that she was auditing: should she go with the flow or take the tough call of facing a difficult time at the audit committee and the board meeting and risk losing a client. In the end, her decision was guided by thinking about her responsibility to the investors, some of whom would have put their life's earnings into the company. When you know your purpose, you refrain from taking shortcuts, think long-term and do what you believe is right.

The salaries we earn is like the current account. It will go up and down with time and has short-term gratifications. How many of us remember how much bonus we received five years ago. But I am sure we all remember praise or a good word that we received even 20 years ago. In a similar way higher purpose is the capital amount, which helps build each of us as individuals. It is the higher purpose, which helps us weather the storms in our lives and helps us achieve results beyond our own belief. It helps to give that 10 per cent extra, which distinguishes winners from the losers.

The genesis of all innovation, invention, efficiency, improvements is inspiration. So how do you inspire people? I come back to a sense of purpose because that is where people will find their inspiration. To try to convince people that there is a link between profitability and purpose, therefore, is a waste of time. It is said: "Find purpose and the means will follow." I truly believe that if we find purpose, profit will also follow. What is important is to create forums and platforms in the organisation to propagate the message, to help people bind with the common purpose, to recruit people who believe in it as passionately as you do, to provide the right training grounds so that it becomes a part of the DNA of the organisation. A purpose becomes reality only when people live it in their day-to-day lives. Leaders at all levels in the organisation must help create an ecosystem that supports this.

Steve Jobs had said, "We are here to put a dent in the universe, why else even be here." When you bring people together with a higher purpose, they will find their way to make their own dent. The sense of fulfillment that you get from making a difference to your own teams, to the organisation and to the world at large cannot be measured in monetary terms. When people are on their way to achieve everyday greatness, need I even argue about profitability?

Richard Rekhy
Chief Executive Officer, KPMG