Charles Dickens wrote in Bleak House about people who kept fighting long after they’d forgotten why the fight began. A few years ago, I found myself sitting in a meeting that reminded me of that story.
It happened during what seemed like a perfectly pleasant meeting.
I had been hired by a nonprofit organization to develop a self-guided team-building program. Before rolling it out more broadly, I wanted to test the material with one of their existing teams.
The group was friendly. They clearly enjoyed working together.
When I asked how well they communicated, they smiled.
“Great.”
They looked forward to their Friday meetings. They enjoyed one another’s company. One person told funny stories. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to be there.
So I asked another question.
“How do you make decisions?”
Silence.
I tried again.
“What’s the purpose of this committee?”
More silence.
Finally someone said, “Nobody ever told us.”
As we talked, the story became clearer. None of the original members were still on the committee. One person had replaced another, who had replaced someone else before them. Over time, everyone had inherited the meetings, but no one had inherited the reason the meetings existed.
The committee simply kept going.
I’ve never forgotten that conversation because it illustrates something I continue to see in organizations of every size.
Work has tremendous momentum.
Once something starts, it often keeps going — even after people have forgotten why it began.
Activity isn’t the same as purpose
Most organizations don’t intentionally lose sight of their purpose.
It happens gradually.
A project begins with a clear objective. People change roles. Leaders retire. Priorities shift. New employees join. Before long, everyone understands the process, but very few understand the original reason behind it.
The meetings continue.
The reports are produced.
The committees meet.
The work gets done.
But if you stop and ask, “Why are we still doing this?” you may not get an answer.
That’s a dangerous place for any organization to be because activity can easily become a substitute for purpose.
Charles Dickens noticed this a long time ago
That experience always reminds me of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House.
One of the central storylines involves a legal case called Jarndyce versus Jarndyce. The lawsuit drags on for generations. By the time the novel begins, people continue fighting simply because that’s what they’ve always done.
Very few even remember how the dispute started.
Eventually the case reaches its conclusion.
The irony is that after years of legal battles, there isn’t any money left. The entire estate has been consumed by the process itself.
Dickens exaggerated the story to make a point.
But I’ve worked with organizations that weren’t all that different.
They continued investing enormous energy into projects, processes, and conflicts that no longer served the purpose they were originally created to accomplish.
Sometimes no one had even stopped to ask whether the purpose still existed.
Stories help people recognize themselves
When I’m working with leadership teams, I don’t usually begin by telling people they’re losing sight of their purpose.
That rarely works.
Instead, I tell a story.
Sometimes it’s this nonprofit committee.
Sometimes it’s the Powell Doctrine and the question, “How will you know when it’s over?”
Sometimes it’s Jarndyce versus Jarndyce.
I’m not trying to entertain people.
I’m trying to help them recognize themselves.
If someone laughs and says, “That’s us,” we’ve made progress.
Once people can see the pattern, they’re much more willing to examine their own organization honestly.
That’s when meaningful conversations begin.
A simple question worth asking
If your team has been working on something for months — or years — pause for a moment.
Ask one simple question:
Do we all understand why we’re doing this?
Not everyone will have the same words, but the answers should point in the same direction.
If they don’t, it may be time to reconnect your work with its purpose.
Organizations don’t usually drift because people stop caring.
They drift because work develops momentum of its own.
That’s why one of the most valuable things a leader can do is occasionally stop the work long enough to remember why it started in the first place.
When people understand the purpose, they can make better decisions.
When they don’t, they may keep working long after they’ve forgotten what they were working toward.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment over on my LinkedIn post and join the conversation.
About the Author, Rick Maurer
