And Your Cause Is...?

When yesterday I blogged, touching on management guru Charles Handy, I noted his fantastic observation;

…Handy sprinkles his book [The Empty Raincoat] with examples of business people who succeed because they are passionate about their work beyond the mere profit motive. They have a passion for a cause, whether it is excellence, creativity or pride

I once again screamed inside that so many people just don’t get it.

Each time I meet a successful person (whether in sales or not) I am struck by how little the pursuit of the dollar drives them.

A couple of weeks back I saw a pair of South African entrepreneurs describing their branding agency success growing The Creative Counsel. They talked at length of the need for “chutzpah” and of only focusing on the success, never any eventual cash.

I was reminded of the famous call from Steve Jobs to then Pepsi chief Tim Cook. ‘Do you wanna spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or come to Apple and change the world?’

When you’re asked what you do, is your reply merely regurgitating the product names/type you sell? Or do you rather say why you set the alarm each night?

I know my customers love to hear how I want to change the world. And I happily tell them. My main current cause is helping people actually sell new products where before they’ve never taken hold. What’s yours?