You're listening to TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hu.

What is a company's purpose?

Well, it's not the same as mission or vision.

In her 2022 talk from TED at BCG, purpose expert Ashley Grice explains the power of purpose,

the value and clarity it can bring across an organization,

and how it adds meaning to our lives.

In 2019, I took a 9 a.m. flight from Atlanta to New York City.

I was the first person to board that day, so as I death-grip to my phone to step over that

little crack that leads to the runway, I caught a glimpse of the flight attendant.

Head in her hand like this, eyes closed.

The moment she heard me, she looked up, she put a smile on her face and she said, good morning.

This is not your first flight of the day, is it? I asked. No, she said, it had been a really

early one. I made some silly sleep joke, and she laughed, and I went to go sit in my seat.

She couldn't have been more than 25 years old. During the flight, we exchanged pleasantries,

and at one point she came to offer me a snack, and she asked me

what I was going to New York to do. I said that I was going to deliver a speech and that honestly,

I was cutting it kind of close. No time for lunch? She asked. No time for lunch, I said, and I took a bag

of almonds and I tucked it into the pocket of my backpack. After the flight landed,

I was on my way out of the plane and she stopped me for a moment and she handed me a plastic bag.

It was about this big and it was weirdly heavy. She said, I know you didn't have a lot of time today

so I packed you this. Good luck. That was nice. So as I'm walking through LaGuardia with my bag and my bag,

I peer inside.

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