Organisational purpose is a topic that continues to fascinate me. My assumption is that businesses founded since the advent of both social media and social movements where we have witnessed the power of individuals and groups to force change on organisations would have purpose hardwired into their DNA.
After all many investors today focus their investment strategy on an organisation’s environmental, social and governance structures (ESG) but you don’t have to look very far to see that investor fear and greed always seems to trump any concerns investors may have about the ethics of a business – Uber is a case in point.
So with every market sector from taxis to retail ripe for disruption, surely the funeral business could also do with some innovation right? There must be a way to apply metrics such as sales targets, marketing funnels and conversion rates to one of the bleakest days any family can endure?
Meet Alex Kruger. Alex was the CEO of a $2million California-based funeral start-up business called Grace – think Uber but for funerals. A one-stop shop for the dead.
Alex’s story is a fascinating one. His early career was working for various start-ups until he was approached to become the CEO of a new business in a sector where he had no experience. This episode charts the birth of Grace, and the growing realisation that Alex had of the detrimental effect this business had on his mental wellbeing. This episode ultimately reinforces the concept that to be happy at work, do something that ‘moves you’ and something you would happily do for free – a job with a purpose.
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In this episode you’ll discover:
- Why fear and greed remain the key motivations of investors
- Whether empathy for the customer and profit actually co-exist
- Why financial success alone should not be the reason organisations should be created
- How much easier it is for small organisations to have a culture that is founded in ‘purpose’. As Alex says; co-workers n small firms who will happily spend all their ‘shower thoughts’ thinking about the business
- How firms such as Patagonia and Ben & Jerrys are as rare as hen’s teeth when it comes to large organisations who have a defined purpose and culture.
