Everything we do in life should have a clear purpose, and we should regularly ask the question, ‘Why am I doing this?’, or more simply put, ‘Why?’. Many, if not all of us, ask themselves the question, ‘What am I doing here?” or ‘What is the purpose of life?’. Finding one’s purpose in life is key to finding true happiness, and one cannot be truly happy if one spends 8 hours a day doing something he or she is not truly passionate about. Work and the individual self cannot be considered as two separate spheres. Aligning our life and work purpose is crucial for our general wellbeing. The question ‘Why?’ is of extreme importance when deciding to start a new business. One cannot simply decide to start a business without knowing the reason behind setting it up in the first place. It is the responsibility of companies to ensure that their existential purpose goes beyond the bottom line, and it is also the responsibility of employees, who owe it to themselves, to work for companies which have a purpose that is aligned with their own. The first discussion before setting up a new business is deciding why the business is going to exist. A business cannot exist for the sole purpose of improving it’s bottom-line. Nowadays, both customers and also employees, demand that companies look at the impact they have on the community and what they are doing to protect the environment and improve the lives of the people they are in contact with. This is sometimes defined as the company’s ‘corporate social responsibly’, I like to define it as the company’s culture. The will to make the world a better place and to have a positive impact of its employees, customers and community must be an intrinsic part of the company’s culture and is reflected in everything the company does, on a daily basis. It is not about deciding to sponsor some environmental project every once in a while, and having dress-down Fridays, it is about how the company acts each and every day, and how the employees treat and support each other in the smallest of things. Leaders must be empathetic. In most situations we don’t know what other people are going through, at it is important that business leaders show empathy and are always there to support others. They are there to help their colleagues when they fail and to celebrate their victories together. An African philosophy which comes to mind when describing traits of business leaders is ‘Ubuntu’ – the philosophy that we are one, and that our success depends on and is dependent on the success of others around us. The future of work is one which is going to demand more flexibility and freedom. Freedom in allowing employees to take decisions without needing to go through never ending bureaucratic decision-making procedures, freedom to take instant decision for the benefit of the company. Flexibility not only in time but also in place. More employees expect to be able to work at any time of the day they want, from wherever they want, as long as results are delivered. This is not a nonsensical expectation, but it will lead to improved performance, better results and happier employees, since everyone performs at their best during different times of the day and from different places. Providing more freedom to employees has been proven to be beneficial to both the employees and also the organisation. Being able to fit our work schedule into our life schedule, and not vice-versa, is an important element in ensuring the well-being of employees. As with any relationship, trust is key. A company is a group of individuals who trust each other and have open and honest discussions with one another – without this, a company cannot move, grow and flourish. The goal, whether for a business or an individual, should be to ensure we leave this world a better place than we found it. The writer is a Partner at Seed Consultancy,Malta, EU www.seedconsultancy.com nicky@seedconsultancy.com
