#1 The economic benefit and the social impact are separate, almost in parallel #2 The only purpose of a company is to make money #3 The purpose is apparent goodness and greenwashing.

These are things that keep being said, but they shouldn’t be like that. Things he explained and argued Alex PalleteFounder and Chief Strategy Officer of the consulting firm Picnic, at the beginning of his talk at the Leaders with Purpose Forumorganized by Vocento. As the professional pointed out, these statements should not be considered valid, because “Selling and providing value are not separate activities, but rather it is about selling while providing value. And if you understand that, you understand that the more it sells, the better it will be for society.”

He purpose it’s a good businessthe lecturer stressed; an intelligent and conscious business, among other issues, that the better society does, the better the organization will do. “Of course, there is nothing wrong with growth, but growth for growth’s sake is not worth it. “You grow better when you are aware of your capacity for impact, when you grow by growing.”

One of the big questions regarding the purpose may be finding it and, according to Pallete, that will not be achieved “thinking about yourself, but thinking about how you are going to help others overcome their barriers or generate a positive impact.” The purpose of a company born from the desire to transcend and it should not be confused, according to the Picnic manager, either with the vision -what you want to be- or with the mission -what you do-, which are temporary concepts, achievable and limited to the sector in which you operate. . The purpose transcends that, it is timeless, it is a goal that has not yet been reached.

Three reasons for the importance

Another question about purpose is why it now becomes so important and Pallete answered it with three reasons: the first, that Society is increasingly demanding of companies; the second, that companies are increasingly more transparent, whether they want it or not; and the last one, which Company leaders are increasingly aware of the impact of their decisions.

In reference to the first question, Pallete alluded to the fact, documented by different studies, that people currently tends to trust companies more than other types of institutions when solving certain problems of society.
Regarding the second, he noted that “people want and can know. Companies are increasingly glass boxes, either you are transparent or they make you transparent.” That is why the inconsistency between what is said and what is done erodes trust and this, on the other hand, is reinforced if the company – without reaching sincericide – reveals its imperfections and vulnerability. This is a source of trust, both among the people who work in the company and for other people.
“It is time for brave and visionary leaders,” Pallete said when commenting on the third point. In his opinion, more humanistic leaders are required, who seek to transcend and who focus their efforts on protecting a legacy and building a future.

The path to purpose is, as can be deduced from Pallete’s words, a process of introspection. You have to dare to start it, “to embrace the complexity and humility of knowing oneself better, of seeking authenticity. To know the truth is to take charge of it.”

On the other hand, the term purpose It has been used so much, and often so badly in recent times, that it seems to have been losing its value. To recover an adequate approach to the issue, Pallete proposes replacing it with the word sense and ask yourself two questions: What is the point of my company existing and what is the point of working for it. The first appeals to the sense of relevance and the second, to the sense of belonging.

Both are key for a company and must be articulated around change, something that all companies have in their germ, since none of them are created to do exactly the same thing that they have been doing. The point is to rediscover that original idea or impulse of change, –“take a trip to the soul of the company”, either “deciphering the corporate genome”, according to expressions that Pallete used – and then make it contemporary.

A compass for everyday life

That meaning or purpose, once discovered, “It serves to make better decisions on a day-to-day basis, it provides focus and coherence, everyone in the company works with the same compass, although not with the same map.” pointed out the speaker. “Decide better, even when it means giving up great business opportunities. The return of purpose is in the commitment of people, in reputation, in differentiation, and that is very powerful.”

Álex Pallete also commented that When a company has a clear purpose, it shows. “Maybe the people who work there don’t know how to express it in a sentence, but it is lived and translated into actions. As that one said, he who has magic does not need tricks.

Continuing with the questions about the concept, Pallete finally alluded to the “How do I know if I have it, how do I know if when I do an exercise of purpose it is really mine and not a song to the sun?” And the answer he gave is, again, that it shows. It is noticeable in the illusion, in the ability to impact that authentic purpose generates, in that it is a useful and actionable truth and in that, basically, it has two qualities: “I identify myself and it mobilizes me”said, “It is both a mirror and a springboard.”