Welcome to Coignite!

This past week I saw a story on my computer that Facebook celebrated reaching 500 million users.  What huge accomplishment in this new and exciting world of social networking.  As a society and as a world we are much more connected with each other than ever before in human history.  

We instantly send messages to each other, find schoolmates we haven’t seen in decades, share our vacations, our triumphs, and our dazzling moments with our children.  As a parent, I keep up to date with my grown children easier than any generation before me.   I share and participate in what is going on in their lives without them even having to call their parents or feel guilty because they didn’t.  This is really cool!

Last week I also attended an eye opening presentation where people were sharing their latest ideas of how we can bring innovation to social issues.  What I saw was an exciting portfolio of ideas on how to leverage the same social media and Facebook-like technology to make a difference in our communities.  But, as I listened, I was struck by the image of each of us sitting behind our own computer or cell phone chatting by text to one another.  In this image we are isolated behind a veil of technology telling unseen others about the actions we are individually taking to make a difference in each other’s lives.  It seemed sadly ironic to me and I was left with an empty and hollow feeling of being alone; a feeling similar to how my home now feels with my daughters both grown and our dog of 16 years permanently sleeping under our peach tree as I sit and write this post to unseen readers I have never met.  Is this really the kind of connection we need?

I received a cool email from Global Mindshift on Monday.  It contained a link to a 10 minute video from Daniel Pink on "The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us."  This is solid research supporting the ideas and approach behind Co-ignite's CollaborAction Communities - that we need to make our work places more human in order to get better performance.  Dan makes the point so well in this fun video that I will stop here and just let you see for yourself.  Enjoy.  See if you become as mesmerized watching the illustrator drawing pictures as I was.

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

It used to be that we prepared ourselves for our future by gaining skills for our lives and the workplace.  In a conversation I had recently I found another important distinction:  That in today’s world when we can no longer know what the future brings, we need to become more capable of responding to challenges.  The difference between capabilities and skills, in my mind, is that skills are about being competent in what you do.   Increasing your capability has more to do with who you are being.  It is more of a measure of what you have inside of you that you can bring to bear on your situation and the likelihood of you being successful.  It has to do with the less tangible aspects of your character, resiliency, attitude, and eagerness to learn and do what it takes to be successful.  To adequately prepare for our future, we need to shift our attention from just adding to the content of what we know  and the skills we have (both of which will soon be outdated) toward strengthening our capability and resolve to adapt.

When everything is feverishly changing around us, how do we know which way will lead toward success?  When we define our success on what is going on out there, the path will always be shifting and changing creating a confusing, exhausting, and ultimately futile journey. 

However, when we shift our definition of success toward one of living our own purpose and contribution, the path forward is clear, more stable, and more powerful.   We aren’t just looking for shifting opportunities to get something we need; we come from a solid place of offering real value to the world and expecting to be fairly compensated for that value.

Whether you are an individual or an organization, answering the fundamental questions of what is your essence of being, what offer are you making that is of real value to others, and toward what mission are you moving toward will ground you in a stable bedrock of purpose that will serve to clearly guide you when all else is chaos. This use of purpose goes far beyond the standard vision or mission statements meticulously word-smithed by countless companies or individuals long forgotten in filing cabinets as part of a strategic planning exercise.  To discover your purpose means reaching down into your soul to find the answers that rock your very being and deeply move your customers or clients.  It’s not so much about what you do as what you stand and strive for.  It’s more alive and more compelling to ourselves, our colleagues, and our customers.  It is a huge differentiator in a competitive market. 

Do you think you already have a purpose and that you can discover it? Or do you lean toward the notion that you choose your own purpose?  Respond and let me know.