Several years ago I stumbled across a wonderful resource
developed by a gentleman called Dan Pink.
His information is Available here for you to check it out.
He created something called the What's Your Sentence video.
It's had a tremendous response.
Millions and millions and millions of people have participated in this exercise.
And it really was founded in a very basic question, which is that every great man or
woman, in this case, can be boiled down to a sentence.
And so he's asked everyone, what's your sentence?
What is it that you're here to do?
What is your purpose?
And so, as we think about our own work in the world, and
then the work of our organizations.
When we can really synthesize down what it is we're here to to do.
We can really get clarity about how we not only do it.
How well we achieve what we want to do.
But how do we measure that?
How do we tell people about that?
And again the clearer we can get the more
able we are to get the result that we want.
And so I wanted to invite you to think about the exercise the mission on purpose
not just organizationally, and departmentally, but for
you as an individual because I do think it helps so much.
And I'll share my own experience about this.
Years ago I went through this as I said as an exercise and
I led a team of 600 people through this work with my coaching team at the time.
And we had breakout sessions and everybody did this work and
as a result I did it myself.
I had to come up with my sentence.
And my sentence turned out to be she changed the way people think.
That is my sentence.
And it's no coincidence that my title of my first book is Change Your Think.
That sentence, she changed the way people think,
keeps me focused on what I know I want to be doing in the world,
which is to really help people challenge their minds, right?
They don't have to agree with me.
They don't have the same opinion of me.
Frankly, I think it's more fun when people have a disagreeing opinion.
It makes conversation really interesting.
But I do want to do enough in the world that I'm challenging the way that
people people think.
I'm inviting you to go through the same exercise.
Dan Pink's information is available for you to check out the site.
Check out the information on what is your sentence.
And I want to really invite you to pay attention to how this applies.
Not just organizationally, departmentally but also for you and
even think about this for your team.
Every single person on your team is here to do something.
What are they here to do?
And the closer you can get your team to that answer,
the more capable they will be to deliver amazing performance and results.
Because the truth is most of the people that work with you are really
ready to do that.
Some people on your team, it's not the right organization,
it's not the right purpose.
That happens, but you know what,
the faster you can help everybody synthesize what it is they're trying to
accomplish with their work, the faster you get teams to dial in their performance.
So I invite you to take a look at this work.
I also think it's fun to think about other inspiring organizations,
some of their purpose.
Think about the organization, TED.
TED began in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment, and
design converged.
Many of us are familiar with TED talks, which are short powerful
talks viewed by millions of people around the world on TED.com.
If you aren't I'm inviting you to check them out.
TED's mission though is spread ideas, it's simple and
clean and clearly convey's what TED Is trying to do, and why it exists.