The Power of Purpose
The Power of Purpose
Issue #1 🧩 Everyday struggles with lack of purpose in processes 🧩 The five-monkeys-and-a-ladder experiment 🧩 Everything needs a clear purpose 🧩 How to establish purpose in processes
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How often have you asked: “Why are we doing this?”, only to receive the answer: “Because that’s how it’s always been done!”?
It will be Mission Impossible to make decisions without having answers to your most pertinent WHY questions. But how do you ensure everybody knows the reasons behind each WHY?
Keep reading 👇
📑 NOTE: Treat my posts like mini-guides: choose what’s relevant or interesting.
🥴 Why Make Things Easy if They Can Be Difficult?
A while back, I bought a pair of shoes from the Internet. When they arrived, I tried them on but they didn't fit. So, I decided to send them back.
I put the shoes in their original box, which was covered in a plastic bag. I wrote the address on the plastic bag and went to the Post Office.
To my surprise, the Post Office refused to take my package. The problem was the plastic bag. I didn’t understand what they meant. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: “I made the package exactly as it was. It came with that plastic bag on top. Why can’t I use it then?”
PO: “Because it’s our policy.”
Me: “It’s your policy not to transport plastic packages? And yet, you did. I’ve also received other plastic packages from you. How come?”
PO: “No, you cannot return your package wrapped in plastic, but others can send it to you.”
Me: “What exactly is that supposed to mean?! Others can send plastic, but I can’t??”
PO: “Yes, because you have to pay more.”
Me: “Oh, so this is all about money then! It’s not a problem with you not being able to, or simply refusing to transport plastic?”
PO: “That’s correct.”
Me: “Well, good to know! And how much does it cost?”
PO: “To return this package, you’ll have to pay the normal price of €5. For the plastic on top, you’ll have to pay an additional €30.”
Me: “Why am I paying more for the plastic?”
PO: “Because the person that mailed it to you didn’t prepay for the plastic.”
Me: “Excuse me??”
PO: “When the person mailed this package to you, they paid for the plastic too. But they didn’t prepay for your return. That’s why the plastic is not included in the return. You have to pay for the return and the plastic on top of it too, unless you remove it.”
Me: “And why do you charge separately for the plastic?”
PO: “Because we cannot transport it otherwise.”
Me: “I’m pretty sure we’ve already established that you can transport plastic. But it’s still unclear to me why you’re charging separately for it.”
PO: “Here, let us explain! Do you see this document? It has the Terms & Conditions of our company. Take a look at this paragraph. It clearly says that to transport plastic, we charge an additional €30.”
Me: “However, that still doesn’t answer my question. Why do you charge those €30??”
PO: “Because you cannot send your package otherwise.”
Me: 😖
We kept going like that in circles for about half an hour (I don’t give up easily!), after which I removed the plastic, put the address on the carton box, and mailed it for €5 🙄
🐒 The Five-Monkeys-And-A-Ladder Experiment
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