1

RETHINKING PURPOSE

rethinkingpurpose.stanford.eduStanford Graduate School of Business

2

3

WHAT’S IN STORE1 Class Syllabus2 Happiness, Meaning and Drivers3 Passions and Interests4 Unique Strengths5 Personal Moonshot Sketch6 Fears and Possible Roadblocks7 Personal Board of Advisors8 Thinking Spots9 Organizational Moonshot Notes10 Mindsets + Stages11 Upcoming Transitions12 Transition Tips and Tricks13 Facets of Self + Multipliers14 Temporal Sweetspots15 Energizers + Energy Vampires16 Daily Practices17 Ideal Calendar + Time Audit Changes18 Overall Goals + What to Start and Stop19 Month, Quarter, Year Headlines20 Sharing + Continuity

PREPARATION

Reading Links only at : tinyurl.com/rp-syllabus.

Watch video on ‘The Power of Purpose’ and read the articles ‘Millennial Searchers’, ‘How to Grow A Purpose-Driven Workforce’ and ‘Some key differences between a happy life and a meaningful life’, JPP, Vol. 8, No. 6, 2013.

DiscoverySession 1 | Feb 27

LECTURE

For the intro, we’ll dive into the behavioral science of meaning, happiness, and purpose. Then get ready for a real-time sprint to design your personal moonshot(s).

LAB

Be prepared for 90 minutes of workshopping and design thinking on the most challenging topic of all : YOU. We will kickstart the process of creating personal moonshots.

PREPARATION

Read Alphabet’s 2015 founder’s letter and the Google 2004 IPO founder’s letter. Consider Larry and Sergey’s journey since 1995. Also review the first video from X VP Mo Gawdat on Solve for Happy, his personal moonshot.

PursuitSession 2 | March 1

FIELD TRIP

We will be hosted at X, formerly Google[x], by moonshot thinkers and makers. Please meet at 3:00 pm sharp at the Co-Lab to catch your ride.

100 Mayfield AveMountain View CA 94043

What are we solving for? We will explore how this question is applied to organizations and our personal lives.

PREPARATION

Watch the 5 minute video on ‘The Happiness Narrative’ and review the one-pagers from our visiting Stanford Distinguished Career Institute Fellows and friends.

Bring comfortable walking shoes for the second half of the class.

BalanceSession 3 | March 3

LECTURE

The meaning of happiness is not fixed; it changes every 5-10 years. How might we plan for these transitions, allowing personal moonshots to change over time?

LAB

Friends, alumni and Stanford’s DCI fellows will join small groups to share their life stories and how to navigate transitions between mindsets or chapters of their lives.

PREPARATION

Watch the18 minute video on ‘Rethinking Time’. Read ‘Pressed for Time: Goal Conflict Shapes Time’ Etkin, Evangelis, and Aaker JMR 2015.

ImpactSession 4 | March 6

LECTURE

Time is often treated as objective (24 hours in a day) but is more subjective than we think. How might this research help you achieve your personal moonshots?

LAB

Loosen up and be ready to rethink time, defragment your calendar and make purpose a part of your everyday schedule.

PREPARATION

Watch the 3 minute video ‘More than Money’ by Mark Albion and read ‘The Road to Self-Renewal’ by John Gardner. Review Ivy Ross’ FIT commencement speech on authenticity.

Bring a notebook and leave your technology behind.

SavoringSession 5 | March 8

FIELD TRIP

After a brief heart to heart with Google VP Ivy Ross, we will visit Windhover. We’ll walk over together to Roble Hall at 3:30 pm.

370 Santa Teresa StStanford, CA 94305

Note that Windhover is a technology free zone. We will take time to reflect individually in preparation for Friday.

PREPARATION

Reflect on the lecture material, exercises and readings. Put together the draft or skeleton of a 2-minute talk that summarizes what you learned about yourself, meaning and purpose to share.

Submit your one slide and short write-up before 9 am March 10.

SharingSession 6 | March 10

YOUR TURN

This is your day. Come ready with your story to share.

We will host a pre-LPF warm-up speakeasy (complete with libations and EANABS) with an open-mike for a session of personal stories of your moonshots.

6

FIRST THINGS FIRST

MY HAPPINESS AND MEANING

List the people, places and activities bring you happiness and / or meaning. Plot them on the 2X2 to the left.

SMALL LARGE

HAPPINESSSM

ALL

LARG

EM

EA

NIN

GFU

L

Source : PLOS Medicine Journal (2010), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

Harvard Study of Adult Development

7

A SECOND PASS

MUNDANE GLAMOROUS

QUALITYLE

SSM

ORE

THIS

MA

TTE

RS

Research Source?

HAPPINESSDRIVERS

List a dozen things that matter to you and then plot them on the 2X2 to the left. Are there surprises in where certain things ended up?

8

FURTHER DISCOVERY

MY PASSIONS AND INTERESTS

Consider different facets of yourself. What passions are connected to those facets?Where do these passions come from?

Writer’s block? Write down the following :What was your favorite childhood memory?What was your most memorable moment last year?What was your happiest moment last year?

9

MY UNIQUE STRENGTHS

What would you and your trusted advisors, friends and family say are your unique strengths?

10

MY MOONSHOT ( V1 )Summarize from the previous exercises your (1) Passions and interests and (2) unique strengths. Then jot down a few things the world needs in this decade.

PASSIONS ANDINTERESTS

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS

UNIQUESTRENGTHS

Book : Good to Great, Jim CollinsWebsite : www.forshay.com

11

PRELIMINARYMOONSHOT DIRECTIONS

Take a look at where the intersections exist between your passions, your strengths and what the world needs. Jot down a few possibilities for moonshots in the next five years. We will refine later.

FEARS AND POSSIBLE ROADBLOCKS

What do you know about yourself when it comes to tripwires that stop you from being happy or pursuing your interests and your larger purpose?

12

MY RESOURCES

PERSONAL BOARDOF ADVISORS

If you were the CEO of You Inc., who would you have on your board of advisors to make sure that You Inc. is successful not just in the short term, but built to last?

THINKING SPOTS

List places where you can savor, think and reflect on your intentions and your purpose, daily, quarterly and annually.

13

ORGANIZATIONALMOONSHOTS

Remember : “People want to be valued members of a winning team on an inspired mission.” What have you discovered in our short study of organizational moonshots?

FIELD TRIP

14

MINDSETS + TRANSITIONSMindsets are fluid. At the grandest scale, these mindsets frame the key chapters of our lives. However, you can also experience all five in one day!

Circle your mindset / stage for this decade.

DISCOVERYYou are rethinking purpose

PURSUITYou know what your goals are

BALANCEYou are active, and need balance

IMPACTYou’re aiming broadly, but need to define impact

SAVORINGYou are reflecting on where you are

UPCOMINGTRANSITIONS

Given the stage of your life you are in right now, what are specific efforts you may need to plan for to transition to the next stage? Ex. graduation, moving to a new city, becoming a grandparent.

15

TRANSITIONTIPS + TRICKS

As you contemplate your current and next stage, what do you want to remember to move forward effectively, gracefully, and joyfully? What did you learn from your conversations with others?

16

FACETS + MULTIPLIERS

FACETSOF SELF

What are all the facets of your complete self (roles, domains or passions). Label the blue circles with your key facets.

FAVORITEACTIVITIES

List as many enjoyable activities as you can below. Circle your favorite activities from the list and transfer them to every facet it applies to.

17

ME

Circle the favorite activities that show up next to multiple facets (blue circles). These are your doubles, triples and home runs!

18

EXPANDING TIME

A CLOSER INSPECTION

Copy your schedule from last week or another typical week from your past to the next page. We’ll do some sleuthing and then make adjustments.

TEMPORAL SWEETSPOTS

Circle all the times you were creative? Is there an ideal time to be creative? Write it below.

Circle all the times you were productive? Is there an ideal time to be productive? Write it below.

Flip back to the facets + multipliers. Which times of day are you most effective for your top 3 facets?

19

CURRENT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT06:00

08:00

10:00

12:00

14:00

16:00

18:00

20:00

22:00

24:00

20

OTHER TIME HACKS

ENERGYBOOSTERS

List the people and / or activities that are energizing for you, that generate more energy for you than you put in, that you would happily re-invest additional energy into.

ENERGYVAMPIRES

List the people and / or activities that zap you. A good hint that a person or activity is an energy vampire is if you avoid or procrastinate.

21

DAILYPRACTICES

Given the above observations about yourself and time, what are you keen to do on a daily basis to ensure that you can achieve your goals?

22

TIME WELL SPENT

SKETCH THE IDEAL CALENDAR

Review your current calendar on the previous page. Taking into consideration how we can expand time, sketch your ideal calendar.

TIME AUDIT CHANGES

What specific changes do you need to make to align with your multipliers, sweetspots, and your observations about your energy boosters and vampires?

It is unlikely we’ll achieve our ideal state all the time. What are three rules of thumb you can commit to when you schedule things?

23

IDEAL SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT06:00

08:00

10:00

12:00

14:00

16:00

18:00

20:00

22:00

24:00

24

BRINGING IT TOGETHER

OVERALL GOALS THIS PERIOD

Given your most recent moonshot map / personal purpose audit, what are three goals you want to focus on this period (month, quarter, year)?

WHAT I WILL STOP DOING IMMEDIATELY

Given your fears, roadblocks and energy vampires, what can you commit to stop doing right now to improve your well-being?

WHAT I WILL START DOING IMMEDIATELY

Given what you’ve discovered in your overall audit, what can you commit to start doing right now to improve your well-being?

25

ZOOM OUT

BIG PICTURE THEMES

For this current year, list key activities in each month, and then give that month a theme / headline. Bubble this up to a quarterly theme / headline.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

MONTHHEADLINE

KEYACTIVITIES

QUARTERHEADLINE

26

SHARING + CONTINUITY

BUILD YOUR MOONSHOT MAP

1. Go to www.tinyurl.com/moonshot-map2. The link will automatically make a copy of the template for you3. Select 2-3 points from each workbook activity to add to your map4. Share your map with rethinkingpurpose@gmail.com

PREPARE YOUR TIME CAPSULE

1. Take a look at www.tinyurl.com/personal-moonshots for examples2. Write 300 words and one slide summarizing your moonshot and insights3. Practice your 2 min talk ; it is a message from you to your future self4. We will film your talk and share it with you in the future

POST CLASS

1. Put time on your calendar to revisit your moonshot map and video2. Reach out to your board of advisors and friends to share your learnings3. Keep in touch at rethinkingpurpose@gmail.com

27

28

We assume happiness is stable, an endpoint to chase. It's not. Recent behavioral research suggests that the meaning of happiness changes every 5-10 years, raising the question, ‘how might we build organizations and lives that cultivate happiness?’ Research suggests it is better to aim for meaning. In Rethinking Purpose, we explore how to rethink purpose in work and life. Students will hear from guests and take a field trip to see how Google has reconsidered purpose. Building on the principles for Solve for X (www.solveforx.com), a platform encouraging moonshot thinking to solve huge problems in the world, we'll harness design thinking principles to create personal moonshots and a path to continue to find those moonshots over one’s life course. Lastly, we'll map out how to use time in ways that would help build innovative teams, products, and ultimately lives that have positive, meaningful, lasting impact in the world.

Photo Credits : Christopher Michel ( www.christophermichel.com)

CO-CAPTAINS Jennifer Aaker Emily Ma

FIRST OFFICERS Madilyn Ontivero Laura Lee Sophie Hamilton Gustavo Torres da Silva

CHIEF STEWARD Karina Longinidis

MKT574 | Winter 2017February 27 - March 1MWF 3:00 - 5:50 pm PSTStanford GSB Co-Lab