Are We Nearing the End of Competition Over Purpose?

Recently someone said ‘ We would like to be involved but our focus is on being the best and winning business not on helping everyone else’ 

This is not the first time I have heard this over the last, almost, 20 years of leading a not for profit that exists to create a sustainable event sector and it leads me to question if the idea of prioritising being the best rather than making a difference for everyone is becoming an outdated business model?

The benefit of a 20 year career is being able to see patterns and I have personally found a challenge from the start is the competitive approach of ‘only a few of us can do this and that 'scarcity mentality’ will be good for our business.

In theory of course it is good for businesses to be one of a few, if not the only, company taking best practice action and demonstrating an advantage so your customers will choose you. In practice I can list many examples of how this approach can have a negative impact. Here are a few real life examples I have seen this week:

1- Confusion - for example the sport body that creates it’s own sustainable event standard rather than implementing ISO 20121, the International standard for a sustainable event will leave people confused about the difference and the rationale for two standards

2- Unnecessary noise, also known as greenwash- for example the event industry associations who make a lot of noise about creating an industry wide approach yet end up championing actions and targets below those recognised as best practice

20 years ago the awareness of and action on issues like climate change and social inequalities was less and a basic business model was ‘be better than the competition and win business’ and maybe many of todays business leaders who were trained in this approach are still living it.

Now is a time where humanity and nature demand business to put purpose first (there is no business without people and a planet) and businesses of the future (those that will be providing something which AI can not replicate) demonstrate how purpose comes before competition.

Here are some real life examples from this week’s work with Positive Impact which bring to life how purpose could be prioritised:

1- Empowering- as experts in ISO 20121the international event sustainability standard we are creating resources that can be used by our global community of ambassadors so they can advance our shared purpose of human engagement happening in a sustainable way

2- Enabling- in collaboration with global event communities we are identifying how to give access to sustainability education to all attendees so everyone will have credentials in sustainability 

In a scarcity mindset competition is the most natural focus. For us all to thrive in the future taking action to advance a purpose is needed. The era of competition over purpose could be ending.