Dear Readers:

Every year, Temkin Group highlights one theme that we think will be particularly important for companies in the coming year. In 2016 we focused on Emotion, in 2015 we focused on Employees, and in 2014 we focused on Empathy. And now, in 2017, we are focusing on … Purpose.

Why “purpose,” you might ask? At Temkin Group, we have always been passionate about what drives and motivates human beings – regardless of whether they are leaders, employees, or customers. So we have been paying close attention to recent findings from fields like positive psychology that show that purpose and meaning are essential ingredients to our well-being.

As John F. Kennedy once so aptly said: “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”

Purpose is powerful. It provides a context around all that we do, which alters our feelings, beliefs, and actions. A strong sense of purpose can:

• Inspire us to find joy in our lives
• Energize us with a sense of hope
• Propel us to overcome obstacles
• Uplift us to feel good about ourselves
• Connect us with others around a shared goal

The business world is finally starting to appreciate the importance of purpose in driving human behavior and aiding decision-making. Over the past year, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of articles discussing purpose. We’ve also observed more leaders recognizing the role that purpose plays in motivating employees and customers, and we see leaders beginning to explicitly connect the purpose of their organization to the purpose of their people.

However, when we at Temkin Group discuss purpose, we are focused not only on how a person interacts with a company, but also on what provides meaning in that person’s daily life. Now more than ever, we believe that feelings of uncertainty around the world are prompting each of us to look for more purpose and meaning in our own lives.

That’s why Temkin Group will spend 2017 Elevating Purpose. Much of our research focuses on helping organizations master four CX core competencies. As you can see in the figure below, purpose is an important component across all four elements: Purposeful Leadership, Compelling Brand Values, Employee Engagement, and Customer Connectedness.