Scene: corporate retreat for senior leaders of a Fortune 100 company. Theme: creativity. Agenda item: purpose. I have placed a solitary Zen stone in the center of each table.

The group members eye the rocks suspiciously. “Speak your mind, one and all,” I urge.

“Why is there a rock here?” pipes up one person.

“What’s it for?” asks another.

“Exactly,” I begin. “This is the very question we must tackle. Not just about the stone. But about your work. Let’s start with the stone, though. Answer those questions you just asked. You have exactly one minute.”

They’re not sure. They’re looking around. They don’t know where to start. Time’s running out. Someone gets it. She shouts it out, “It’s to be a pet for someone.” [laughter]

Sure, why not? Others chime in.

“It’s here to be polished and given as a gift, a paperweight.”

“It’s here to be broken up and used to make a gravel path.”

“It’s here to be a doorstop.”

“It’s here to be part of a river-rock fireplace.”

“It’s here to skip on the lake with my son; he loves doing that.”

Not bad. Higher purpose for a lowly rock. Everything has one. It’s what I was after.

 …