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Purpose & Passion
Tom Doescher
In 2009, The Purpose Linked Organization was published by Alaina Love and Marc Cugnon, two consultants/authors. It deals with an issue that I’m passionate about — call it purpose, your why, your mission, your reason to exist, or whatever works for you. Especially in light of the aftermath of Covid and the Great Resignation, it may be something you want to read. One of the authors, Love, tells an amazing story of how she overcame the challenges of being a Black female in the business world to become the top HR executive at Merck & Co., a major global pharmaceutical firm — and then, at 36 years old, she left to pursue her purpose. Wow!
Those of you who have met me know that my response to your “How are you doing?” is “Living the dream.” You also know that I’m fond of calling myself the Lucky Guy, which I’ve used in the title of the four books that I’ve published. As I read Love’s story, it helped me understand “why” I feel that way. Today, my life is the most integrated it has ever been (i.e., everything I do seems to connect), and I’m clearly focused on my strengths and passions. These include my expanding family, advising business owners, and my philanthropic activities in my new adopted hometown, Flint.
I mentioned the authors were consultants — so, you guessed it, they’ve developed an online assessment tool, the Passion Profiler. If you decide to purchase a copy of their book, it includes a complimentary assessment code. Again, because they’re consultants, they’ve developed their own list of 10 Passion Profiles: Builder, Conceiver, Connector, Creator, Discoverer, Processor, Transformer, Altruist, Healer, and Teacher.
Yes, I completed the assessment (a 15-minute exercise) and my results were Altruist, Healer, and Builder. Actually, this process wasn’t life-changing, but it provided me with some additional insights about myself.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to everyone, but if you’re evaluating or re-evaluating your life, the Passion Profiler may provide you with some fresh ideas.
BTW, if you purchase the book, I would highly recommend you take the assessment first. Then you’ll only need to review those sections of the book that apply to you.