Search for Meaning
Throughout life we are involved in a continuous search. A search for meaning.
Our greatest motivation, writes Viktor Frankl,
“is not to gain pleasure or to avoid pain but rather to see a meaning in one’s life.”
As the body searches to find its physical equilibrium, we search for our ‘Whys’ and ‘What’s’ to find our inner equilibrium.
The ‘Why’ and ‘What’
We search for the answer to the question ‘Why do we exist’ which is our purpose and ‘What’ we need to ‘be’ and ‘do’ to fulfil this purpose. The metaphor for life in these turbulent times is ‘Search’. Dominated by the image of the Search engine.
Even though our search is personal, we feel the need to relate it to a group we belong to and consider significant. In most cases this group is the organisation we work in or have founded as entrepreneurs. The organisation becomes important because most of our waking hours are spent in organisations. Within these organisations we could belong to specific teams. Therefore at the individual and team level we need to find a fulfilling ‘why’ which is congruent with the organisation. If there is no alignment between the ‘Whys ’of the individual, team and organisation, then it leads to frustration. We need a ‘why’ that motivates us every day to be enthusiastic about ‘what’ we are doing.
Everybody needs, as the management philosopher, Charles Handy says “an inner belief that you are in some sense meant to be here, that you can leave the world a little different in a small way.” Often the organisations we work in do not provide very supportive environments. However, we don’t need to continuously blame our circumstances and experiences. Everything depends on how we see the situation and respond to it. We can choose to make a difference. Find our meaning.
Nevertheless, when the organisation’s purpose loses its relevance to an employee, the employee finds no meaning in remaining with the organisation. Although there will be some who will continue to remain, because of economic pragmatism. In especially this situation one needs to consciously decide to contribute to the organisation in a positive manner, otherwise the situation will eat into one’s innards leaving one bereft of any meaning, whatsoever.
Search for Fulfilment
As an organisation evolves the purpose and values hardly ever change. That is what constitutes the core identity of the organisation. If an organisation loses its way it needs to go back to its source, to its roots and rediscover its ‘why’ and ‘what’ in today’s context.
David Packard, the founder of Hewlett Packard stated “Purpose (which should last at least 100 years) should not be confused with specific goals or business strategies (which should change many times in 100 years). Whereas you might achieve a goal or complete a strategy, you cannot fulfil a purpose; it’s like a guiding star on the horizon — forever pursued but never reached.”
HPs purpose is brief and succinct but it gives a specific direction to its growth and fulfilment of potential. “To create technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere.”
In a search for the fulfilment of purpose, as an individual too, there are milestones which are reached and celebrated. But the direction defined by one’s purpose is always challenging one to a greater fulfilment of the ‘why’. The unfathomed potential. For instance an individual’s purpose could be “To live life with integrity and empathy, and be a positive force in the lives of others”, Amy Ziari. One can go on setting goals in this context and achieve them but the purpose goes on motivating one to higher levels of fulfilment. One can never truly reach the end of such a search. Because the search is an ongoing process. Reaching milestones are just indicators of how much more needs to be discovered. When one competes one achieves. When one searches one discovers. We are ‘bundles of potentiality’.
Mutual Support
In a search as part of any group or organisation, mutual support is critical. There cannot be any place for egocentrism. It can destroy the cohesiveness of the group. As E. F. Schumacher stated ‘Good Work’ enables us “To be in service to, and in cooperation with, others, so as to liberate ourselves from our inborn egocentricity”. In losing oneself to the fulfilment of a higher purpose one finds oneself. This is the paradox.
In this ongoing search the organisation will have stragglers, passengers, parasites, drop outs who have re-entered, newcomers et al. The organisation in its overall wisdom will decide the degrees of freedom and tolerance given to such individuals who want to be part of this search for potentiality.
In Times of Crisis
There will also be times of crisis and pain. The organisation will then need to respond according to its purpose and values. For instance in an economic downturn. No matter what the circumstances being experienced, the organisation would need to respect employees as persons and not as replaceable cogs in a machine. Sadly companies don’t truly walk the talk. There is a lack of authenticity.
The velocity of change of the organisation needs to be matched by the velocity of change desired by the employee. If the employee wants change to happen at a faster pace than the organisation or vice versa then there will be a conflict. And this conflict will need to be addressed.
Life is flow
We need to remember that organisations are living organisms searching for fulfilment and in the process enabling the fulfilment of human persons. As Eric Jantsch, the astrophysicist states “In life the issue is not control, but dynamic connectedness.”
Ultimately any search has to experience being a flow. Just like streams,
“with sparkling confidence, they know that their intense yearning for the ocean will be fulfilled, that nature creates not only the call, but also gives the answer.”
