Making the Connection
By Peter Baines

I was in a briefing with a client who I had spoken for and we were constructing a full day program for his team as an extension to the keynote that I have previously delivered.  We got talking about Clarity of Purpose and my client wasn't sure it was the best thing to talk to the group about.  This interested me as I am a real believer in us understanding why we do what we do, on so many levels.

Having heard the keynote a couple of times he went on to tell me that he completely understood what my clarity of purpose was and why it was important but couldn't see how his group who were project managers could find a similar clarity of purpose in what they do.  I found his view really interesting and at the same time decided that Clarity of Purpose HAD to be in the full day program - more so now than before.

We were building a leadership program but I was convinced that we needed to understand our purpose and what we were trying to achieve before we ventured into any discussions around leadership.

During the delivery of the program to the group we explored what the company was about, what on a contextual level they stood for.  What surprised me was that a senior group of people had such different visions around what as an organization they thought was most important.  The discussion from the group showed a number of things, but for me it was the lack of alignment and why there was a real disconnect in the teams that they were leading.

How could there be alignment when the senior group were asked in one word what they thought their organization was really all about above all else and the responses included profit, customers, reputation, loyalty and service.  Needless to say we spent some time exploring this.

What we arrived at was that it wasn't profit.  Profit was not at the expense of ethical behavior.  It wasn't customers per se, because you can have a lot of customers who aren't happy with their service.  It wasn't reputation, because plenty of organizations have reputations they wish they didn't, and it wasn't service because again there are varying levels of service.  What this organization was about was loyalty and in my mind that was in complete congruence with what they wanted it to be.  

We spent further time discussing this on both an organizational level and on what it means on a personal level.  I certainly wouldn't have felt as though I had done my job if members of the group thought it was ok for me to have a clarity of purpose because of what I do, but for them it was too hard to find and there was something in their eyes about their role that excused them from that journey.

Having a beer at the end of the session with my client who had initially thought we shouldn't explore Clarity of Purpose he said to me, "I understand what that is about now; it's about being true to yourself!"

I sat on the plane thinking about his comment and wondered what changes he would make to his life if he decided to be really true to himself.  What would he start doing and what would he stop doing if he was true to himself?

This is an interesting question to ask ourselves.  If you're not living a life that is really true to yourself what would you do?

About the author: Peter Baines began his working career as a Crime Scene Investigator prior to moving into a Command position within the Forensic Services Group of the New South Wales Police in Sydney, Australia. He has completed University studies in Forensic Science, Law and postgraduate studies in Management. Peter serves on a number of National bodies and advisory groups and has received the National Medal for Service, the NSW Police Medal, and The Government of NSW Meritorious Service Award for his work in Thailand after the tsunami disaster. Peter was appointed to the Australian National Institute of Forensic Science in 2006, as a Terrorism Forensic Specialist. He is co-founder of Hands Across the Water, a non-profit organization for the care of tsunami orphans in Thailand. Peter is a Paul Harris Fellow and recipient of the Rotary eClub One Professional Excellence Award.