Thread

Purpose and values as the compass

Purpose recurs first as an EMBA research subject and then as a personal filter for choosing work and direction. Petro describes it as a filter for decisions. Later guests treat values as a 'North Star' and misalignment as a cause of burnout.

How it developed: It shifts from purpose as an organisational research theme (2020–2022) to a personal compass used during breaks and in later life choices (2024–2025).

The thread's title and description are AI-written, drawn from the episodes below. The quotations are verbatim from the episode audio, each linked to the moment it was said.

What was said

“If they don't resonate with the purposes people have, they're just not going to see it, and they're just not going to use it.”
— Kosheek Sewchurran, guest · #016 Kosheek Sewchurran | Creating worlds through conversation · [13:33]
“Secondly, so my second major finding was that purpose is an intrinsic motivator. So purpose as the, the underlying drive to do something because it is in service of something bigger than ourselves, or because it's interesting, or because it matters to us personally, that's an incredibly powerful motivational force for human beings.”
— Gordon Wilson, guest · #019 Gordon Wilson | Purpose as a driver for human behaviour · [20:07]
“Where people, again, tied to your demonic experience of happiness, where people felt that their purpose was aligned with the company's purpose, and that what they were doing each day was aligned with that purpose and, and furthering the interests of the company. they were much more motivated at work, they were much happier at work.”
— Chris Smith, guest · #020 Chris Smith | Finding happiness at work · [13:09]
“it's like a filter, that you can then go, okay, well, this, this either resonates with me or it doesn't, or it aligns with my purpose or it doesn't.”
— Petro du Pisani, host · #022 Understanding my desire to be a biotech entrepreneur | Mauritz Venter · [19:47]
“So burnout is not a weakness. It's a feedback loop to say you're not aligned.”
— Shannon Royden-Turner, guest · #041 Special Focus on Burnout | Shannon Royden-Turner · [25:32]
“I do believe that by spending time and figuring out what your own personal set of values are becomes such a strong North Star.”
— Jeannette McGill, guest · #045 Lessons from Everest | Jeannette McGill · [21:11]

Episodes in this thread

All topics and episodes of On Change with Petro du Pisani