Q1 · 2018Purpose drives performance – what fuels you?

The new year has just begun and many of us have taken time out for reflection and planning. This pause may drive our motivation for renewal and making changes, in whatever area they may be.

But past years have taught us that deep-rooted behaviors, long-cultivated routines and patterns are not simply overcome by the switch from December to January. For the onset of real change, we need to do more than just scratch the surface; we need to dig deeper to find the root causes of our actions.

While some people don’t have any trouble knowing why they get up and perform their daily duties, and keep on track with good habits and healthy routines, others might not have such a clear picture of their aims – and, more importantly, the strong sense of purpose that needs to be aligned to make their goals really meaningful and lasting.

One example of pure purpose

As many of you know, I anchor sustainable high performance in true passion and purpose. Recently, a very distinct illustration of these strengths was demonstrated to me when I least expected it: I had a minor emergency – nothing really dramatic – but it ended in a wonderful example of pure purpose driving performance.

My car was about to go for its annual MOT test when I realized the tires needed a little more air. I was smartly dressed and in a bit of a hurry, because I had an important business meeting scheduled right after the checkup, so I decided to stop at the local tire store called Pneu Egger before going into the MOT test. I asked the mechanic if he could just quickly pump up my tires. He looked at my tires and scratched his head. Eventually, he looked up at me and said: «You don’t just need air, you need new tires. You won’t make it through the MOT test with these. Actually, it’s dangerous to drive with these tires». Now I was the one scratching my head: «So what can you do?» I asked anxiously. «Do you have the right tires? Can you put them on? Right now?»

We averted an accident here

Then the manager approached, asking what the fuss was all about. There were many scheduled customers waiting in line, but the mechanic looked at him and said: «We can do this, Boss!» The manager was more cautious, he said: «Let me look into our system and see what we can do.» But a moment later, he came back: «We’ve got the exact tires! We’ll put them on, we can do this!» Within a few minutes, I was ready to go, still on time for the MOT and my business meeting – and with prim and proper tires. I shook the manager’s hand, and thanked him. He looked at the tires, then back to me and said: «It was my pleasure. I think we’ve just averted an accident here.»

They are not changing tires, they are averting accidents

Pneu Egger is living an important principle with passion: Purpose drives Performance. For many years I drove by their store and thought, it must be pretty boring to change tires all day long. I was wrong. They are not just changing tires. They are averting accidents and ultimately saving lives. And they know that this is the true purpose of their knowledge, experience and skills. They provide a perfect example of how a positive attitude based on passion and purpose not only automatically improves personal performance, but has a catalyzing effect on a team and, in this case, a whole company.

I wish you the same level of purpose in your performance areas.

Happy New Year!