Today is an exclusive live video interview with Arthur Woods, for the interview series “Interviews with the Leading Edge.”
In this series of interviews, I engage with people who are on the leading edge of transformational change, doing work to further the consciousness revolution and how it is manifesting in culture, politics and spirituality, in order to help bring along a more enlightened society.
Arthur Woods is one such person.
Arthur is the COO and Co-Founder, along with Aaron Hurst, of the company Imperative, having founded it after working at Google and YouTube. Imperative is a leading edge company, whose aim is to help people find purpose, in their work and their lives, and also to redefine and redesign what it is that life is about. One of the things that Arthur understands, and that his company Imperative is doing, is helping to shepherd in a new economic model, one that is centered around purpose, human-centered needs and our innate desire to collaborate. Arthur sees that our economy over time has gone through different shifts: we have gone from an agrarian economy, to an industrial one and then onto an information economy. Now there is another shift that is taking place: we are moving into a Purpose Economy. This concept, of a Purpose Economy, is the gist of Aaron Hurst’s, Arthur’s co-founder at Imperative, new groundbreaking book, The Purpose Economy: How Your Desire for Impact, Personal Growth and Community is Changing the World.
The ideas underlying this book is what Imperative is about: that our economy and world are changing, and people are desiring work that has meaning and gives them fundamental value as human beings. A move towards a Purpose Economy means a move towards a more human-centered approach. As Arthur explains in the interview, purpose gives you meaning, and it is not a luxury that is only available to those who have met their basic needs, or a cause that you join. It is intrinsic to each of us, and is something we all search out. Yet, as Arthur states, 71% of the workforce are disengaged and not doing work that gives them any sense of purpose. There are big changes going on, deep-rooted transformational changes that are creating a paradigm shift in our society, and Arthur Woods and Imperative are at this forefront. This change is being fueled by the desire of more and more people to seek a number of things: personal growth and the ability to discover more about themselves; deeper relationships and community; and doing something greater than themselves. In other words, more and more people are saying they want their lives to be well-rounded and fulfilling, and they want the work they do to be an extension of this – people want to be engaged by their work and to see their work and life as one continuous process and not disconnected from one another, where you go to work and then once you’re home you have a life. People want to live purposeful, integrated, meaningful and authentic lives, and as Arthur sees it, the existing and emerging companies that operate with this as a core principle and business model are the ones that are at the forefront of this new purpose economy – and the ones that will be the most successful. This approach is unearthing millions of opportunities, because more and more people are not accepting the status quo of the way businesses currently operate, of seeing workers as cogs in the wheel to help the company further their bottom line and enrich the investors and shareholders. There are many new emerging models, ones that stress a collaborative model, that are waiting to be born. The Purpose Economy, and the work of Arthur Woods and Imperative, are helping to birth a new world that is looking to come to fruition. I met with Arthur at the offices of Imperative in the East Village in New York City, and there we had an engaging conversation on his own life path and his work at Google and YouTube before beginning Imperative; the nature of work; the meaning of purpose and how purpose is such an innate drive for humans; and what a Purpose Economy is and how it will drive the future. When you watch this interview, you will be sure to be inspired and have your mind opened to a new way that is coming – or I should say, is here. This is the leading edge, and it is here now. To learn more about Arthur Woods and his company, go to Imperative. To learn about Aaron Hurst’s book The Purpose Economy, you can read about it on The Purpose Economy website. And also, on The Purpose Economy website, Imperative has highlighted people who are models of this new economy, what they call The Purpose Economy 100. It’s a fascinating list of people whose work and life are at the leading edge. There is a Purpose Economy 100 US, Purpose Economy 100 Europe, and Purpose Economy 100 Asia. I urge you to check it out.