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When Your Purpose Becomes a Problem

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Manage episode 447379911 series 3555968
Content provided by Eric Ressler. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Eric Ressler or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Is your organization's purpose secretly undermining its impact?

In our latest episode of Designing Tomorrow, Jonathan and Eric tackle a provocative question: When does your purpose become a problem?

We explore the hidden mistakes that can trap even the most well-intentioned social impact organizations, including:

• Relying on wishful thinking instead of hard facts

• Letting processes become more important than outcomes

• Falling into dogmatic, crusade-like thinking

• Overvaluing passion at the expense of skills when hiring

These traps can slowly erode your effectiveness and relevance without you even realizing it. Left unchecked, they may even lead to your organization becoming obsolete.

But there's hope. We discuss practical ways to recognize the warning signs and realign your purpose for maximum impact.

This episode is a must-listen for any social impact leader who wants to ensure their organization's purpose remains a powerful force for good, not an anchor holding them back.
Episode Highlights

  • [00:05] Concept of "purpose becoming a problem" in social impact work
  • [01:23] Wishful thinking, often driven by a single donor, can mislead organizations
  • [02:10] Donor diversification can help with a social impact organization’s resilience
  • [03:59] Your historic purpose may lose relevance over time
  • [06:10] Sticking to outdated processes can stifle organizational growth
  • [08:33] "Crusading" and dogmatic approaches
  • [11:24] Exploration of how passion-driven hiring can sometimes overshadow skill-based hiring
  • [13:12] Hiring practices, the balance between passion and necessary skills in building effective teams

Quotes

  • "[Some] organizations are driven by wishful thinking and not brutal facts." - Jonathan Hicken [01:23]
  • "Some organizations are built on a house of cards, with one donor propping the whole thing up." - Eric Ressler [03:26]
  • "I think in most cases an 'us vs. them' mentality is lazy marketing." - Jonathan Hicken [10:46]

Resources

Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link.

*** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you!

We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at [email protected]

Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. When Purpose Becomes a Problem (00:00:00)

2. High Performance Teams and Social Impact (00:14:39)

53 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 447379911 series 3555968
Content provided by Eric Ressler. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Eric Ressler or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.

Is your organization's purpose secretly undermining its impact?

In our latest episode of Designing Tomorrow, Jonathan and Eric tackle a provocative question: When does your purpose become a problem?

We explore the hidden mistakes that can trap even the most well-intentioned social impact organizations, including:

• Relying on wishful thinking instead of hard facts

• Letting processes become more important than outcomes

• Falling into dogmatic, crusade-like thinking

• Overvaluing passion at the expense of skills when hiring

These traps can slowly erode your effectiveness and relevance without you even realizing it. Left unchecked, they may even lead to your organization becoming obsolete.

But there's hope. We discuss practical ways to recognize the warning signs and realign your purpose for maximum impact.

This episode is a must-listen for any social impact leader who wants to ensure their organization's purpose remains a powerful force for good, not an anchor holding them back.
Episode Highlights

  • [00:05] Concept of "purpose becoming a problem" in social impact work
  • [01:23] Wishful thinking, often driven by a single donor, can mislead organizations
  • [02:10] Donor diversification can help with a social impact organization’s resilience
  • [03:59] Your historic purpose may lose relevance over time
  • [06:10] Sticking to outdated processes can stifle organizational growth
  • [08:33] "Crusading" and dogmatic approaches
  • [11:24] Exploration of how passion-driven hiring can sometimes overshadow skill-based hiring
  • [13:12] Hiring practices, the balance between passion and necessary skills in building effective teams

Quotes

  • "[Some] organizations are driven by wishful thinking and not brutal facts." - Jonathan Hicken [01:23]
  • "Some organizations are built on a house of cards, with one donor propping the whole thing up." - Eric Ressler [03:26]
  • "I think in most cases an 'us vs. them' mentality is lazy marketing." - Jonathan Hicken [10:46]

Resources

Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link.

*** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you!

We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at [email protected]

Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. When Purpose Becomes a Problem (00:00:00)

2. High Performance Teams and Social Impact (00:14:39)

53 episodes

All episodes

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