We're gripped by the tyranny of purpose, hollowing ourselves out - politically, professionally, personally - by obsessing about goals. But do we stop to question whose purpose we're serving and what impact it has on us?
Politically, we're trapped by an economic model that prioritises growth in monetary terms as a progress measure.
Professionally, we're set up for stress and burn out as we struggle to follow organisational values that may not sit well with our own.
Personally, we feel under pressure to conform to social norms, which limit our freedom and creativity and exclude those who are different.
This is the tyranny of purpose. Philosophically, the concept aligns with Aristotle's discussions on the nature of governance and human fulfilment. Aristotle argued that the best political systems are those that promote the common good and allow for a balanced, moderate life. Excessive focus on a single purpose, whether in politics or personal life, can lead to tyranny, where the needs and well-being of individuals are neglected in favour of rigid adherence to an overarching goal.
Politically speaking, government policies often emphasize economic growth as a primary objective. This is measured through Gross Domestic Product: a monetary measure of the market value of all goods and services produced by a country. While this is important for national prosperity, when such a monetary measure is overemphasised we as a nation can neglect other critical areas such as environmental sustainability, social equity, and community well-being. Policies driven by a narrow economic purpose can lead to social disparities and environmental degradation - but we seem to accept them as neutral and intrinsic to the way we rule and govern ourselves.
In their book The Econocracy: The perils of leaving economics to the experts , Earle, Moran and Ward-Perkins argue that an econocracy is a society in which a wide range of political goals are defined and valued in terms of their effect on the economy. What this means in practice is that factors valued by citizens such as quality of life and measures of equality are not included in our core success measure. Activity such as unpaid caring is excluded altogether. Areas such as the arts, education, health and literature are justified as valuable because they contribute positively to the economy.
Professionally, in many UK organisations workplace culture has a strong emphasis on defining and pursuing a clear organisational purpose. While this can provide direction and motivation, it can also lead to negative outcomes such as burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and a lack of work-life balance. Employees might feel pressured to align their personal values and goals with those of the organisation, potentially leading to a loss of individuality and creativity. Studies have shown that overemphasis on productivity and purpose can contribute to stress and mental health issues among workers.
We can tell a lot about what an organisation values by what it rewards. If you lead your team to get a critical project delivered on time, to budget, and at quality but do so as a highly directive leader, then have you succeeded? Directive and dissonant leaders don't collaborate well, push themselves and their own vision forward, and tend to leave demotivated teams in their wake. But none of this need register if the top organisational value is to get things done as planned. This leader will get the accolades, the bonus, the promotion.
In my own experience training leaders, I have been asked after various rich and reflective sessions what the actions are. My question is whether you always need to "do something" after such a session. Quiet space to think and discuss with others will already have planted seeds and created possibilities. Is this not action enough?
Paole Freire, the renowned Brazilian education and philosopher, developed the concept of consciencisation. According to him, freedom comes from seeing, knowing and then intervening in reality in order to change it. He was motivated to help those in oppressive and impoverished circumstances understand that they could reject the forces dominating them - rather than mimicking them, or internalising them.
I gained insight into this concept while teaching. The professional stress experienced by my colleagues was less to do simply with overwork, and more to do with a basic clash of values between them and the national system. For example, it is not just the increased marking accompanying national tests that creates a burden, it is the sense of oppression that becomes internalised from having to increasingly test children at all. I sometimes question whether my role as a coach is to support clients to build their "resilience" if this simply ends up with them trapping themselves as compliant hamsters in the wheel.
In our personal lives, we all experience societal pressure to achieve and adhere to specific life goals, such as career success, home ownership, and family life. These expectations can create a sense of obligation and conformity, leading to stress and dissatisfaction when individuals' personal aspirations or circumstances do not align with these societal norms. The pressure to conform to a singular idea of success can limit personal fulfilment and hinder the acceptance of diverse life paths.
There are plenty of famous English eccentrics who buck this trend. But there is also greater prevalence of mental ill-health for those who try to live up to the perfection of a curated social media world; and markedly less tolerance for those protesting, for example, against the monarchy and in favour of a republic. Many of my clients struggle to identify what they truly want - as their first instinct is nearly always to name what they think they should want.
There is no doubt that purpose is positive. Purpose brings us together in collaboration, it motivates us to stick at changing things for the better, it's a powerful force for organisation success. But there are ways we can check its tyranny:
Campaign for more progressive ways of measuring progress to capture wellbeing, account for unpaid work, factor in environmental degradation.
Choose how you lead within your organisation - be resonant not dissonant, and care for your colleagues.
Celebrate all the ways in which you, friends and neighbours live differently.
Consume ethically and locally, rejecting the global super-chains and their infinite delivery vans.
My path to coaching has given me the opportunity to re-question my own sense of purpose - politically, professionally and personally. I intend, and hope, to support others who are willing and motivated to similarly question theirs.
