When passion meets purpose
"Instead of 'going public,' I guess you could say we're going purpose"
Yvon Chouinard
Last week we explored blind spots through Bradley Cooper's journey with Maestro - those areas where we can't quite see ourselves clearly as leaders, and how recognising them is the first step to growth.
But here's a question:
Do we spend all our time working on our areas of weakness? Or is there more power in leaning into what we're really good at?
Thanks to our brain’s negativity bias, most of us default to the first option. We fixate on our flaws, the gaps, what seems to need fixing. But what if the real path to leadership confidence isn't just about shoring up our struggles…
What if it’s also about finding a sweet spot? That place where your passions, your strengths, and what your team actually needs all line up. Where you feel fulfilled, confident, and like you truly belong.
When a leader operates from this place, it ripples outward, shaping entire organisations and the world around them.
Case in point (/puffer): Patagonia.
Founded in 1973 by rock climber Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia was born out of a desire to support fellow adventurers. Its fast-drying fabrics and fleece jackets were never actually designed to compete with the giants of the fashion industry. But five decades on, this humble outdoor brand continues to grow in popularity, turning over an estimated $1.5 billion per year.
In their early days, Patagonia lacked the scale of brands like Nike or The North Face. But rather than chasing mass-market appeal or commercial trends, Chouinard and the team stayed true to their roots - focusing on high-quality, durable, practical designs that would support explorers of all ages.
This wasn't a compromise. This was the ultimate discovery of their sweet spot.
By owning their niche, Patagonia built trust and loyalty with the community that had supported them from the beginning, while inspiring a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts. And they kept coming back to their four core values - quality, integrity, environmentalism, and innovation (or in their words, 'not bound by convention') - knowing that their ethos was so much more than a company mission statement.
From 1985, the brand began paying a self-imposed 'Earth tax,' with 1% of all sales going towards initiatives to restore the environment and fight climate change.
In 2002, Patagonia's 1% for the Planet program supported other businesses to do the same, amassing $89 million in donations and counting.
In 2018, they donated $10 million to environmental groups from tax cuts received by the Trump administration, and to this day, continue to advocate for sustainability, social justice, and workers' rights.
Over 50 years on from its inception, Patagonia's story continues to evolve.
"Earth is now our only shareholder," Chouinard shared in 2022, as he gave away the company shares to a trust that would use future profits to fight climate change.
"Instead of 'going public,' you could say we're 'going purpose.' Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth for investors, we'll use the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source of all wealth."
Embracing authenticity, reliability, and a strong sense of social responsibility, Patagonia has found its sweet spot on a global scale.
A powerful reminder of what's possible when we stay true to our strengths and core values as leaders… And empower an entire organisation to do the same.
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