FROM BIG IDEAS TO BUILT-IN PURPOSE

Some ideas hit us like a lightning bolt. Others unfold over time. But the ones that endure and shape how we lead usually come from people who gave us language for something we already sensed but hadn’t been able to say.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from thinkers like Viktor Frankl, Simon Sinek, Yuval Harari, and others. Not because they were flawless, but because their work challenged me to go deeper. To wrestle with big ideas. To clarify my own thinking. And to build systems that do more than inspire — they actually work.

Purpose isn’t a one-time insight. It’s a choice you make every day. And if you want your company to run on purpose, not pressure, you need to do more than define it.

Read more in Part 3: The Thinkers Who Shaped How We Talk About Why.

You need to protect it. That means turning your Why into something everyone understands, shares, and lives out, no matter who’s in the room.

PERSPECTIVES

“When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.” — Howard Schultz

MARK MY WORDS

Ideas are easy. What’s hard is turning insight into infrastructure. The thinkers I talk about in this week’s blog helped shape my views, but none of them had the full blueprint. And that’s the point.

You don’t need a guru. You need a system that grounds your purpose in daily behaviors, norms, and agreements. That’s how your Why survives turnover, market shifts, and long seasons of grind.

The best founders I know treat culture like a living system. They protect their purpose by making it part of how the business runs, not just something they talk about.

GOT A MINUTE?

Why Designing the Work Matters
In this clip, Michael E. Gerber and I discuss a painful truth: Most founders don’t build businesses — they build jobs. Even with more tools, more resources, and more access to coaching than ever before, too many are still stuck.

You’ll learn:

• Why just doing the work isn’t enough
• How designing Work creates real freedom
• What hasn’t changed about the founder's struggle in 50+ years

[Watch Now]

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD

In case you missed it, here’s more from Founder’s Framework:

Why the Obsessed Win 

What separates lasting companies from short-lived ones? Obsession. In this article, I unpack why focus isn’t enough and how being obsessed with your vision can help you build something extraordinary.

[Read Now]

A rock anthem about the grind and the hunger for something more. For founders, it’s a mirror: Either keep grinding, or design a business that transforms that drive into purpose and freedom.