Why do you do what you do?
This question has arisen several times in my life lately, in part because I’ve been engaged in some business planning meetings.
If you’re doing the planning right, the word “why” should always be in your mind as you sketch out the future.
I recently watched a video of Simon Sinek, a speaker who focuses on this point when he talks about leadership and change.
Usually, I am not a fan of this sort of thing, but the nub of his argument did get me thinking.
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Why do I do what I do?
Why does The Western Producer do what it does?
This may sound like an easy exercise, but believe me, it’s hard to drill down to the real why.
For example, why do you farm? There are likely many reasons. Is it because when you walk out the door in the morning, you look around at the crops or the livestock with a sense of pride and ownership?
Is it because you feel anchored to the land you own? Is it because you feed people? Is it because you love the freedom?
Is it for the money? I rather doubt it, but you have to look at the financial motivations while you’re at it.
Would you do it if there were no financial rewards? Like an idiot, I recently told my boss, in a fit of idealism, that I would probably show up here every day for free.
Obviously that is not literally true. Even I have to eat. But I have had jobs where the financial reward was the only one, and I’m here to testify that that’s no way to live, if you can help it.
So, why are we doing what we are doing? I’m not going to try to convince you that there is no financial motivation, but as Sinek points out, money is a result of what you do, not why you’re doing it in the first place. At least, that’s how it should be.
I really had to think about it, and I’m not speaking for anyone but myself here.
From my perspective, our “why” of existence is to inform, support and engage the farmers of Western Canada, the people who are performing the only absolutely necessary job on Earth — food production. Can there be a better mission?
