By George Land and Beth Jarman

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When an organization lacks a compelling purpose, its people cannot help but be uninspired. On the other hand, a leader committed to a forceful vision focuses the energies of the entire organization. Debbie Meier is trying to do nothing less than create a new system of public education in New York City's Harlem. She took on this daunting task because she truly cares that young people become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers. As superintendent, she insisted on overseeing the entire period of education, from kindergarten through high school, because she knew it required time to build these critical-thinking skills. Already, the results have been impressive. In the first year, a 5% turnover rate in her schools was one- tenth the citywide average. The dropout rate fell dramatically, and district wide test scores improved significantly.

George Bernard Shaw believed the true joy in life was " being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap of History."

In 1976, Anita Roddick had a $6,500 bank loan and an idea she loved: a business that would sell natural body-care products and that would care deeply about the environment, about its employees, and about its customers. She founded The Body Shop. Now, the organization's sales are approximately $200 million a year, and Roddick's electricity and passion still infuse the enterprise. She says of the people she works with, "You want them to feel that they're doing something important, that they're not a lone voice, that they are the most powerful, potent people on the planet."

Abundance is nature's natural state. Abundance comes to those who have the courage to follow their dreams. This brings not only material abundance but connection with the opportunities that are vital to the full expression of one's talents.

Today, thousands of people are doing what they love to do in the most unlikely occupations and making an excellent living. One woman we know loved making unusual sounds with a variety of percussion instruments that she invented. Strange as these sounds were to many non- musicians, she has now introduced her percussion sounds into sym- phonic music. Her travels take her worldwide playing with various international orchestras.

Phil Bryson was only 13 when he started rock climbing. "By the time I was through college," he says, "I recognized that my real life's work somehow had to be in sharing what I had experienced in my rock climbing. I was committed to offering people the excitement of realizing they could break through their self- imposed limitations to be more than they ever dreamed possible. I had absolutely no idea how I could make a living doing it, but I decided to go for it." Bryson's company, On the Edge Productions, is now 13 years old, and more than 100,000 people have taken his life-changing ropes courses.

No one with a compelling purpose and a great vision knows exactly how it will be achieved. You have to be willing to follow an unknown path, allowing the road to take you where it will. Surprise, serendipity, uncertainty, and the unexpected are guaranteed on the way to the future. Make the world a better place by living according to shared values. Values are often thought of as the soft stuff of an organization, something that goes on a bronze plaque in the front corridor. Somehow the values get separated from how the business really runs. Inevitably, employees and customers know it.

When Robert Haas became chairman and CEO of Levi Strauss and Co., the company had a long tradition of treating employees fairly, providing for their welfare, and actively supporting the community. But, he says, "What really mattered was getting pants out the door." Haas felt that if that attitude continued employees would stop believing in the company. Levi Strauss was willing to bring its aspirations and values into alignment with its actions, both within the company and outside with vendors, customers, and the community.

Ivan Blostone, former president of Leaseways Worldwide Leasing Operations, took a newly formed company in 1960 and achieved close to $1 billion in sales by 1970 because he hired people with common values who were committed to telling the truth in meeting their customers' needs. Instead of selecting employees primarily because of their technical competence and appearance, he added two critical components- shared values and behavior. By organizing work groups around self- managed teams with common values, their contribution to making the world a better place was greatly increased.

The purpose and values are the heart of the vision that will pull organizations to their future. These ingredients provide the essential elements of successful self-creation: the picture of that future whole. It is the internal guidance system, the DNA that allows everything to work together. The purpose, vision, and values furnish the internal reference point for making choices and connections in a complex and rapidly changing world. They endow the individual and the organization with direction to be pulled to the future.