January 15th I was invited by CIONET, the global network of CIO’s and CTO’s, to give a keynote on the need for noble purpose in a digitalizing world

120 digital leaders came to listen at the Atomium, an iconic building in Brussels, how there is a need for people to (re)connect with their noble purpose in a world that is going faster and faster, where information comes at an unmeasurable speed through an almost uncontrollable diversity of channels, and where decision taking almost can’t be purely rational anymore (we indeed need to use our intuition and empathy more and more!).

I explained that we have access to all the information we want whenever we want and how much we want it.

People have access to connect with others any where on the globe.
We can travel to almost anywhere on earth without much difficulty, both in real life and in a virtual way.
Organizations are going faster and faster in processing data, producing and sharing information, connecting people, developing new solutions, inventing the most amazing AI, robotics and digital solutions.
And yet, people are seen to be disengaged in what they do, disconnect from their employer/organizations and have very weak binding with their job.
Over 85% of the active population worldwide is said to be disengaged (figures from Gallup in 2016).

So, what’s the problem?
Despite this uber-connectedness, this constant influx of information and the availability of the most innovative digital solutions, people are disconnected from themselves, from the others and from Nature. We observe that there is a lot of interaction between people, but it’s often meaningless and without relevance. Although people have hundreds or thousands of friends on FB, as many followers on Instagram and LinkedIn, there is something missing.

I concluded that that is the deep purpose we give to our Life.
The connection with what is most important for each of us to get out of bed with positive energy, unstoppable drive and healthy appetite to do something meaningful with our days, weeks, months, in short our Life.

My invitation for these CIO’s and CTO’s was to help people in organizations, through the amazing solutions they either (help) develop and/or (help) install, to find meaning in what they do through how they do what they do, i.e. through being connected to their deeper self, their noble purpose.

Creating organizations where people are living their purpose creates positivism, progress and joy, and by that better and more healthy work climates, environments, and on a more global level better and more constructive societies.