Purpose and Primary Questions

I posited in my last post that a clear Purpose Statement contains the "why" for a person to be and to do what he or she is and does, and contains the "why" for an organization to be and to do what it is and does. In philosophy, certain "why" questions, and related questions, are sometimes called "primary questions." A short (and by no means exhaustive) sampling illustrates the centrality of primary questions in helping us (or not) to make sense of ourselves (as individuals and organizations) and the world around us.

• "Who am I?"
• "Why do I exist?" (or "Why am I here?")
• "What is knowable, and how do I know it?"
• "What is real?" (or "What can I be certain of?")

It is obvious that walking down this path does not lead to quick or easy answers. The Purpose Statement, whether for an individual or an organization, is not arrived at in an instant. It is, in some respects, a life's work.

I have an acquaintance who is becoming my friend. He is CEO of a larger local charitable organization. He worked as assistant to the founder for nine years before she retired and he became CEO. I have asked him what the purpose of the organization was in the mind of the founder. (There is no written purpose statement.) He replied to the effect that the organization was founded to help a certain specific group in the larger population. "Yes," I replied. "But why this specific work?" There are many--maybe hundreds--of ways that a person or organization could help that same group. Why this particular work that the organization does? He had no answer.

If the purpose of this organization, in the mind of the founder, was simply to help the specific group it helps, then does it really matter if it abandons the specific work it is doing in favor of a different kind of work that benefits the same group? The answer, for my CEO friend, was no--the particular kind of work the organization engages in is part of its original purpose. This question is now on his mind, and I believe the organization will be better for it.

The Purpose Statement does more than identify who we desire to serve. It somehow lets future generations know that there is something important about doing a particular thing to serve that specific group of people. To take this a step further, if all the founder of the organization I refer to wanted was to help a specific group of people, why not go to work for another organization that already served that group? Why take on the headache and responsibility and risk of founding a new organization, with all the funding, personnel, board, operational, administrative, etc. issues that go with it? There had to be something else at work in her to compel her to take that leap.

Which brings me to this: the Purpose Statement does not only answer the "why" of who one is and what one does, but identifies the reason that particular "why" was important. Others can look at the Purpose Statement and not only see why the organization or person is and what it does, but can also see the reason the specifics of "is" and "does" are important.

If my Purpose Statement says, "My purpose is to serve others," it is too general to have any meaning. If my Purpose Statement says, "My purpose is to serve others by helping NPOs to be the best they can be," the Statement is slightly better but does not explain my reasoning that "helping NPOs to be the best they can be" is my expression of "serving others." When I think I have crafted my Purpose Statement, I should step back and ask, "Why?" When all the "whys" are accounted for, perhaps my work in crafting the Purpose Statement is done.

My purpose, and the purpose of my organization, needs to be tied to the "primary questions." I should welcome the probing questions of others--particularly skeptics--to sharpen my understanding of why doing a particular thing, or a particular set of things, for a specific group is really what I (or my organization) are all about. The process should be on-going. I should never rest, never be satisfied. After thousands of years of philosophers posing, and sometimes claiming to answer, primary questions, philosophers today still ask the same questions. Philosophers tomorrow will ask the same questions. The understanding gained is worth all the questioning, and all the searching for "the" answer.

Centrality of Purpose

My partner, Kevin Lamar, and I have encountered  many people of faith and/or goodwill who have created a not-for-profit (NPO) or charitable organization to impact and improve the world. We admire their passion and expertise. Many, unfortunately, struggle with the administrative burden of running the organization.

We have talked with foundations and other funders and hear over and over concern expressed about lack of administrative expertise in the organizations who seek and receive funds. These concerns range from board function (non-function) to lack of, or poor, record keeping, bookkeeping and planning.

The struggles of NPOs with administration, including but not limited to board function, record keeping, bookkeeping and planning, are understandable. The folks who found and run NPOs are passionate, and largely very competent, at service delivery. Too often, the pressure to deliver service overshadows administration of the NPO, which suffers. Yet without good administration, the NPO is doomed. Funders, and the public, are calling for increased accountability that NPOs do what they claim to do, and use funds for the purposes the funds are given to fulfill.

Organizations, like people, are prone to one of two paralyzing problems. One is to lose focus on exactly what it is that we are about. We have short attention spans, and tend to manage by crisis, or what is making the loudest noise, or what looks most attractive in the moment. The other is to become so focused on some minutia that we lose peripheral vision and do not see changes in the world around us that require adjustment in what we are doing.

A well thought out Purpose Statement, prominently displayed for our own benefit, helps maintain proper focus. Everything opportunity should be tested against the Purpose Statement and, if it fits, then be considered. The Purpose Statement is the gatekeeper of opportunities. Every opportunity that does not fit within the Purpose is barred from consideration. The Purpose Statement is the "Why" for the individual or the organization. It tells me why I am who I am. It tells the organization why it exists.

A great example of this is the United States Supreme Court. The only cases it hears are cases that involve a "constitutional question"--does the statute or court decision or state action before the Court fit under the U. S. Constitution? The Constitution is the Purpose Statement for the United States government. If the state action before the Court is found to fit under the Constitution, the Court permits it to stand. But if the state action does not fit under the Constitution, it is struck down and ruled "unconstitutional."

The role of the "Mission Statement" is often stressed in the literature. A good organization can have a good Mission Statement and still suffer mission drift or focus lock. A Mission Statement is the "What" for the individual or the organization. It tells the individual, or the organization, what it is to do, but not the "why" for doing it.

To individuals, I encourage you to consider your personal Purpose Statement. To organization, I encourage your leadership to consider the organization's Purpose Statement. If your, or your organization lack a Purpose Statement, stay tuned to this blog.