The Purpose Economy

The Purpose Economy

At the intersection of purpose and business, we can do well and do good.

IMPACT QUOTE:

“Find one person that you’d like to get to know better, and practice curiosity with them.” - Aaron Hurst

GUEST BIO:

Aaron Hurst is a pioneer of purpose, co-founder and CEO of Imperative, a purpose-driven assessment and peer coaching platform, and author of the groundbreaking book, The Purpose Economy. He’s also the founder of the Taproot Foundation and a catalyst of the $15 billion pro bono service market. He received the highest honor available to University of Michigan alumnus and is a producer of the annual Workforce Purpose Index

Learn more about Aaron:

ImperativeThe Purpose EconomyAaron’s LinkedInAaron’s Twitter

OPENING MONOLOGUE:

Imagine this. You find yourself working in an environment where you’re inspired to go in each day. You show up to serve, contribute, and make an impact. You pour your strengths, gifts, talents, passions, and efforts into every action you take, and the performance takes care of itself because you’re so invested in what you do and why you do it. At the end of a hard-fought day, you feel fulfilled, not exhausted. You’re excited to do it again the next day. That is the working world that we’ll imagine today.

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[6:28]

The Birth of the Peace Corps

A transformative idea built on purpose

When Aaron Hurst’s grandfather came out of World War II, he thought a great deal about how to avoid World War III. His epiphany was that if people truly spend time in purpose, working together to understand each other’s culture, then we had a chance to truly build understanding. This idea was the beginning of what became the Peace Corps.

[14:22]

Purpose in Ancient Times

Before jobs and titles, there was purpose

Before jobs, managers, and infrastructure, we were all just people working together to survive. But our lives would have been filled with purpose— caring for our tribe, caring for the people around us, and finding ways to stay alive and stay healthy. So how do we bring that connectedness with purpose back to a world where so many things seem to stand in the way?

[24:22]

Seeing People as People

The perspective that makes companies do well and do good

The workforce must be designed for human beings, and if you don’t treat your people and customers as human beings, you’re missing an opportunity. Not only are you missing out on creating joy and purpose in people’s lives, but you’re also missing out on the chance to maximize shareholder value.

[36:59]

The Scientific Method

Want to understand your purpose? Go back to chemistry class.

In science class, we learn about forming a hypothesis, measuring that hypothesis, and measuring your results. We should do the same thing in our careers. Run an experiment where you show up differently, try something new, build a different relationship, or make time to reflect. Build your career as a science experiment and watch what you can learn and discover.

[47:12]

Positivity at Scale

Tracking and sharing the little ways we lift each other up

Aaron discusses the upcoming rollout of a new system that tracks positive comments and moments of connection that occur in work communication platforms around the world. It’s all about exponential multiplication of positivity and purpose.

[49:07]

The Importance of Curiosity

Ask questions, then ask more

If you’re not curious about someone, you’ll never truly see them. We must be able to express curiosity about the people around us in a respectful and sensitive way and create space for people to be curious about ourselves while being more vulnerable and open.

RESOURCES:

[00:28] - Purpose Labs[01:18] - The Purpose Economy[4:50] - Imperative[4:56] -  The Taproot Foundation[35:16] -  Job Crafting Resources: HBR  & U of M Ross School of Business[58:27] - The Power of Playing Offense[58:28] - Interview Your Who Downloadable Exercise

MAKE A PLAY:

Getting to know the people who inspire us most can really help us find our own sense of purpose. But how do you truly get to know somebody? What motivates them? What inspires them? What excites them? What are they curious about? 

In Paul’s book, The Power of Playing Offense, he shares an exercise called Interview Your Who. Download it here.

Ideally, your who is somebody that inspires you, that you would follow to any end. Once you’ve chosen yours, use the link above to complete the exercise. Then, be sure to DM Paul on social media or email him at [email protected] to share what you discovered.

Want to keep making the right plays? Subscribe to Playmakers now.Check out more episodes and content on the Playmaker’s website.

FOLLOW AARON:

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FOLLOW PAUL:

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Playmakers: Impact Unleashed is an all-access pass to the game-changers of today and the history makers of tomorrow. The show looks past the trophy cabinet and features a no-BS, inside look into the world of comeback, transformation, and impact unearthing practical tools and mindsets that we can all leverage to make a play in our own lives and careers.

Take a seat at the table with leadership expert, sports industry veteran, personal transformation coach, purpose igniter, and your host Paul Epstein in this inspiring, yet immediately actionable podcast. From stories of total defeat to the thrills of unimaginable achievement to the practices of mastering the inside game, each show will share a high-energy, prescriptive blueprint to unleash impact and drive success, significance, and purpose no matter your starting point.

Meet Paul at the 50 and make a play together!

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ABOUT THE HOST:

Paul Epstein may not be a hard charging running back on the actual football field, but his list of high-profile wins in the world of sports will have you thinking that he could be.

Paul has spent nearly 15 years as a pro sports executive for multiple NFL and NBA teams, a global sports agency, and the NFL league office. He’s transformed numerous NBA teams from the absolute bottom in league revenue to top-two in financial performance. He’s broken every premium revenue metric in Super Bowl history as the NFL’s sales leader. He’s opened a billion-dollar stadium, helped save the New Orleans NBA franchise, and founded the San Francisco 49ers Talent Academy.

He's since installed his leadership and high-performance playbook with Fortune 500 leaders, Founders and CEOs, MBAs, and professional athletes.

Now, as Founder of Purpose Labs, keynote speaker and host of the Playmakers: Impact Unleashed podcast, Paul explores how living and working with a focus on leadership, culture, and purpose can transform organizations and individuals anywhere to unleash their full potential.

Learn more about Paul atPaulEpsteinSpeaks.comOrder Paul’s new book The Power of Playing Offense

CREDITS:

Paul Epstein: Host | [email protected]Connor Trombley: Executive Producer | [email protected]