Purpose Motive trumps Profit Motive

Daniel Pink thinks, writes and lectures about the way we do business, in this country and abroad. He thinks about capitalism and the assumptions made about how people work and what makes them work better -- more effectively, more creatively and more productively.

A few days ago, I had the privilege of hearing Pink speak to a conference of more than 200 coaches in Washington, D.C. He was fascinating, captivating and engaging. Fingers were flying as people took notes and sent Twitter messages about key phrases in his presentation.

Pink deconstructed the whole idea of capitalism and the profit motive. He used recent studies and recent history to show that work based solely on the need to make money and more money does not serve society particularly well. But work based on something larger -- a purpose -- could be more valuable than gold.

I cannot do justice to Pink's presentation in this blog. Fortunately, someone has recorded his words. And better still, the clever people at the 250+ year old RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) in London created this amazing piece of animation to illustrate his thoughts. Literally, Words Into Action.

It's not the same as seeing Pink in person. It's something completely different: