I recently had the privilege of hearing a presentation by Roy Spence of GSDM, a full-service ad agency out of Austin. He talked about the Purpose Institute he has founded.
GSDM is famous for clients like Southwest Airlines; he has also done some great pro bono work on important issues relating to world disasters. In other words, he has a lot of street cred, communicating ideas to a worldwide audience and creating an emotional connection for products and services.
Spence says his business and his clients’ businesses are in the “life improvement” business. For example, Southwest Airlines gives people the “freedom to fly.” (You have heard the ads, I am sure.) He used many companies as examples of this life-improvement concept.
It became clear to me that we are all in the “life improvement” business, regardless of what we do. If you are developing commercial real estate, you are building buildings that are easy to access. You’re creating environments that make people want to be there.
The Real Estate Council is no different. Our members are improving their lives through improving their business by networking. And we provide an opportunity for our members to easily serve their community, which provides for several different life improvement angles.
As we all run our businesses, we should keep these concepts in mind. How are we improving the lives of others? How can we have a purpose in life and work that has meaning? Having a purpose makes all decisions easier.
These are things I have been thinking a lot about lately, and Spence’s speech really brought all of those thoughts together in a crystal-clear way for me. I hope it resonates with you, too.
Linda McMahon is president of The Real Estate Council. Contact her at [email protected].
