What is purpose?

Many people search for the meaning of life. They want to know what
life is about, why good things or bad things happen, why do we exist?

I had the privilege of spending my time with Prof Clint Le Bruyns, who recently passedaway. During my time as his research student, he encouraged me to take up responsible leadership as a subtopic for my research. My research is mainly focused on how businesses can do good by going beyond corporate social responsibility, and be more strategic in how they tackle social development challenges.

Prof Le Bruyns told me that there is no way that business can do good without responsible leadership. He spoke of a world in which leaders would apply responsibility in every decision. He believed that this would become reality one day, even in this VUCA world. Responsibility in his eyes was about love and justice. These words can seem sometimes foreign in this volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world full of hate and injustice.

When I stumbled upon the Globethics.net website, I was in search of more knowledge around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To my surprise I found that Prof Clint was not alone. There were others who were promoting this message of love and justice through the various courses designed to teach and empower leaders to be responsible. As my  research focus is on CSR, I was desperate to find more information and articles on CSR.

I signed up for the CSR course and I was excited to see that the CSR course was scheduled to run from 15 October 2020. It was perfect timing for my research. Then I received news that the CSR course would start only in 2021, my heart sank. But the Globethics.net team was generous and incredibly understanding. They advised me to take up another course in the meantime. I went back to the Globethics.net website to search for an alternative course that has some alignment to my studies. I signed up for the Responsible Leadership course, with no clue how it would transform my understanding of business, leadership and my role in it.

I learned the true meaning of plurality and accountability. I learned about the importance of dialogue and engaging with all stakeholders irrespective of class, religious, philosophical and political differences or literacy. My role was not just to be a responsible leader, but also to spread the message to others. I finally understand. It was no coincidence that I stumbled upon the Responsible Leadership course. It came at an appointed time. I must exemplify responsible leadership in my own community. That is my purpose.

I am doing this through my company Labo World. The company runs a community group called The Leadership Square. The Leadership Square is a public space for learning, developing and networking, to envision, embody and advance a more responsible society through conscious, ethical,resilient and impactful leadership. Join the Square for discussion forums, professional seminars, transformative workshops, and other dynamic and collaborative events.