While consulting with Logico (a transport and Logistics business) last week I was told a story that gave me goosebumps. This simple story connected me with the deeper meaning of what Logico really does. The story retells a conversation between a “gogo” deep in a rural community and a senior leader at Logico. The “gogo” had always seen the Logico branded vehicles but never understood what they did until Lockdown. In this period the spaza shop’s cupboards were bare. The only source of hope for most of the community it served was the Logico vehicle carrying food to replenish the shelves. Logico’s vehicle arrival was the arrival of life itself. At that moment, the “gogo” understood their true value and Logico glimpsed a slice of their purpose.  

The true value the “gogo” saw in Logico does not fully encompass their purpose but gave them a glimpse of why they get up in the morning.  So, what is purpose in the commercial sense? Purpose is an aspirational reason for being, that is grounded in humanity and inspires a call to action. There are three meaningful words in that statement.  Aspirational: purpose must be bold, fearless and stir the emotions of staff and clients alike. Humanity: purpose is not only about the organization but must have a positive impact on humanity in some way. It should have the ability to cause transformation in a person, a community or the world. Call to action: purpose should inspire movement and alter behaviour. It is not passive nor static. In addition, purpose should strongly influence culture since culture is the connection between beliefs and behaviors. The stronger the belief, the more behavior is transformed. The caution is that if purpose is just a statement on the boardroom wall and not a lived experience then you do not believe what you claim to believe. People are intuitive and will quickly detect if the narrative differs from the reality. This causes inner conflict and harms culture. 

Purpose creates shared value by bringing social impact and business value together to create a sustainable competitive advantage. Making money and doing good are not two mutually exclusive goals. In fact, companies that integrate purpose grow faster than their competitors. You only need to look at the S&P 500 top 5 companies to prove this point to yourself.  

When you create conditions of trust within your business you can invite diverse brains to think differently, in one direction, toward a noble purpose. Then watch with wide-eyed wonder as a noble purpose harnesses passion within an organization, and simultaneously galvanizes a community to form outside the organization that shares the purpose and creates a powerful eco-system.