From Bed to Bathroom , With Confidence: The Purpose of Flex-100
Part 1
Characters:
- Shiksha: Brand Manager, Canopus Pharmaceuticals
- Prosenjit: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Canopus Pharmaceuticals
- Brand: Flex-100, a biosimilar for osteoarthritis, especially effective in reducing morning stiffness
Scene: The Strategy Room, Canopus Pharmaceuticals, Mumbai
It was a cloudy Tuesday morning when Shiksha walked into the 32nd floor strategy room at Canopus Pharma HQ, at BKC – Mumbai.
She was nervous but hopeful.
Brand Flex-100—her first major launch as a brand manager—had gone through clinical trials smoothly. Brand Flex-100 showed promising results in early-morning stiffness reduction in osteoarthritis patients.
The HEOR trials showed its long-term financial benefits to patients.
But something was missing.
Her CMO, Prosenjit, had sensed her disquiet in their earlier interactions.
“Shiksha,” he said, sipping his black coffee, “You’ve nailed the science. But where’s the soul?”
She blinked, puzzled. “Sir?”
Prosenjit slid a copy of the Harvard Business Review across the table. Read this article, he said – “Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization” by Robert Quinn and Anjan Thakor.
Scene: A Purpose Awakens
Later that evening, Shiksha read the article on her balcony as the Mumbai rains poured. Two lines stood out:
“Purpose is not a mere statement—it is a deep and authentic commitment that inspires, aligns, and transforms.”
“When people find purpose in their work, they become more resilient, more committed, and more innovative.”
Purpose is not a mere statement—it is a deep and authentic commitment that inspires, aligns, and transforms.”
That night, a new idea was born.
Scene: The Brand Purpose Workshop
A week later, Shiksha gathered her cross-functional brand team—medical, sales, regulatory, training. She began not with numbers, but with a story.
She shared the story of Anandiben, a 62-year-old retired teacher in Ahmedabad who loved morning walks in Parimal Gardens.
Right now even visiting the toilet was a challenge.
Morning stiffness from osteoarthritis had taken away her dignity and self-esteem. And with it, her sense of independence.
Then, Shiksha showed a video of a similar patient using Flex-100 in clinical trials and reclaiming her mornings.
“We are not just launching a biosimilar,” Shiksha said, eyes shining. “We are giving mornings back to people like Anandiben.”
And with that, the team co-created the purpose statement for Flex-100:
“We are driven by the profound need to alleviate both the emotional and physical burden of morning stiffness for osteoarthritis sufferers. Our purpose is to deliver solutions that not only ease discomfort but also restore a vital sense of control and dignity, enabling them to start each day feeling invigorated, truly capable, and ready to live life entirely on their own terms.”
[Note for young readers:
A true purpose statement outlines WHY your brand exists beyond just making a profit, focusing on the problem you solve and the positive change you aim to create in the world for your audience. It should be aspirational yet grounded.
You want to highlight the broader, deeper impact on a patient’s overall well-being, including their psychological state. It emphasizes not just pain relief but empowerment, autonomy, and a return to feeling whole. This option speaks strongly to dignity and control.]
Scene: Prosenjit’s Smile
Prosenjit reviewed the brand plan. Instead of traditional value-proposition slides, the first few pages were filled with stories, visuals, and the brand’s “authentic purpose.”
Said Prosenjit: “A leaders most important task is to connect people to the purpose. Inspire them to bring more energy and creativity to the workplace. They then become more engaged and committed. They learn and raise their standards. Align people with the higher purpose.”
Prosenjit’s meeting was followed by strategy pillars drawn from that purpose:
- Medical affairs would conduct patient video diaries documenting morning recovery.
- Sales teams would be trained not just on product specs but on patient empathy.
Packaging would carry an emotional tagline: “From Bed to Bathroom – With Confidence.”
- Doctor campaigns would focus on improving Quality of Morning Life (QoML) with Flex-100.
“This,” Prosenjit said, “is the first time I’ve seen a biosimilar with a beating heart.”
Scene: Three Months Later
Flex-100 launched across six metro cities.
- Doctors responded warmly to the brand’s purpose-first storytelling.
- Medical Representatives shared real patient recovery videos instead of typical PPTs.
- Internal motivation soared—people felt they were making a difference.
One Medical Representative from Jaipur wrote in: “For the first time in 8 years, I feel like I’m not just selling a medicine = I’m changing someone’s day, every day.”
Epilogue: Lessons for the Industry
Shiksha and Prosenjit presented the Flex-100 case at a pharma marketing conference.
Their central message, quoting Quinn and Thakor:
“Profit is a by-product of purpose well-executed.”
And in Flex-100’s case, it proved true.
Moral of the Story
The pharma industry, often seen as clinical and transactional, has deep emotional roots. By anchoring brand-building in authentic, human-centered purpose—as taught in the HBR article—pharma brand managers like Shiksha can breathe life into even the most technical products.
After all, healing begins not just with molecules—but with meaning.
Part 2
Précis of “Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization” by Robert E. Quinn and Anjan V. Thakor
In their Harvard Business Review article, Robert E. Quinn and Anjan V. Thakor argue that organizations can achieve superior performance by aligning their operations with a higher, authentic purpose beyond mere profit generation.
They present an eight-step framework to help companies transition from a transactional mindset to a purpose-driven culture
The authors begin by highlighting the limitations of traditional management approaches that view employees primarily as self-interested agents. Such perspectives often lead to control-based systems that can stifle engagement and innovation.
Instead, Quinn and Thakor advocate for a shift towards a purpose-driven model where employees are motivated by a shared, meaningful mission.
The eight steps they propose are:
Envision an Inspired Workforce
imagine a team that truly cares. Leaders should dream of a team that’s not just working, but deeply involved and proud of what they do.
Let’s move away from saying, “It’s just a job,” and start saying, “This is my job — and I care about it.”
Picture a Medical Representative who promotes diabetes medicines saying with heart:
“It’s my job to help someone stay healthy longer — to delay their journey from pre-diabetes to diabetes.”
That’s the spirit we need — ownership, pride, and purpose.
- Discover the Purpose
The leaders must help the Medical Representative discover the purpose, its true purpose — something deeper than targets, sales or profits — a purpose that touches the hearts of both Medical Representative and customers. This purpose should guide decisions, inspire action, and give meaning to everyday work.
Leaders play a vital role in helping their teams discover this deeper purpose.
Imagine a medical representative who no longer sees his job as just “pushing products.” Instead, he says with pride:
“It is MY purpose to delay the onset of diabetes in people at risk. If I can help even one prediabetes stay healthy longer, I’ve done more than a job — I’ve made a difference.”
That’s the power of purpose. When people see how their work changes lives, motivation becomes natural — and work becomes meaningful.
- Ensure Authenticity
These days, everyone talks about purpose. It’s become a trend. Even leaders who don’t truly believe in it feel pushed by board members, investors, and others to say the right words.
But when those words don’t come from the heart, people can tell. The message feels empty. The purpose sounds fake. And the worst part? Everyone knows it.
Medical Representatives and front-line sales managers feel let down. They become doubtful, even cynical. What was meant to inspire ends up doing damage — breaking trust instead of building it.
A false purpose doesn’t just fail. It hurts.
The Cost of an Empty Purpose – A Story from the Field
Ravi is a Medical Representative. Every morning, he steps out into the heat and dust, carrying samples of a diabetes management product. He meets doctors, speaks sincerely, and shares how the medicine can help delay the journey from prediabetes to diabetes.
He believes in that. He has seen his uncle struggling with diabetes. He knows what it means for a family. So when he speaks to doctors, it’s not just about prescriptions.
It’s about people. About preventing pain before it starts.
But then, one day, his Divisional Sales Manager laughs at the idea of purpose. He says, “Let’s stop pretending of what the CMO has told us about purpose. We’re here to hit targets. Don’t waste time with all this delay-diabetes talk.”
That moment hits Ravi hard. He feels like the wind’s been knocked out of him. All this time, he thought he was part of something meaningful. But now, it feels fake. Just a show.
And slowly, something begins to fade. His spark. His pride. His belief. He still does his job — but not with the same heart. Because when leaders don’t believe in the purpose, the people on the ground stop believing too.
And that doesn’t just hurt the brand. It hurts the people — the very people we claim to care for.
- Turn the Message into a Constant Message:
Keep the Message Alive – Again and Again. Purpose isn’t something you say once and forget. It needs to be shared again and again — in team meetings, in one-on-one talks, in training sessions, and even in casual conversations.
When leaders repeat the message with honesty and heart, it starts to stick. It becomes real.
And sometimes, the most powerful way to keep that purpose alive… is through stories from other industries.
The Nurse from Mangalore Who Did More Than Her Duty
In a small government hospital in Mangalore, there was a nurse named Sunita Shetty. She wasn’t famous. She wasn’t a doctor. But everyone knew her — patients, families, even the cleaning staff.
She worked in the maternity ward. Day and night. Quietly.
One day, a young trainee asked her, “How do you stay so cheerful and patient, even when the work is exhausting?”
Sunita smiled and said, “I’m not just inserting an IV Fluid or giving injections or checking charts. I’m helping bring life into this world. I’m making sure every mother feels safe, every new-born gets a good start. That’s my purpose.”
Her words spread. Her story was shared during training sessions, morning huddles, and even with visiting doctors. It reminded everyone — from the ambulance driver to the head surgeon — why they chose healthcare.
And why it mattered to show up with heart, every single day.
Stories like Sunita’s make purpose real. They remind us that behind every product, every call, every target — there’s a human story.
Keep sharing such stories. They are the heartbeat of a purpose-driven organization.
- Stimulate Individual Learning: Help Them Grow — and They’ll Give You Their Best
When a company gives people the chance to learn and grow — both as professionals and as human beings — something beautiful happens.
Their personal growth begins to align with the company’s higher purpose.
Traditionally, we’ve believed that people work harder only for bonuses, targets, or promotions.
But real leaders know better.
When a leader truly believes in a deeper purpose, they realize something powerful:Learning itself is a reward. Growth is a motivator.
Medical Representatives and Frontline Managers don’t just want to follow orders.
They want to think, to learn, to ask questions, to find better ways — and to become better every day.
Give them that chance, and they won’t just meet expectations — they’ll exceed them with pride, passion, and purpose.
- Turn Mid-Level Managers into Purpose-Driven Leaders
Middle managers play a crucial role in embodying and disseminating the organization’s purpose.
The Turning Point: How One Mid-Level Manager Became a Purpose-Driven Leader
Anita was a Zonal Sales Manager at Vardaan LifeSciences — a mid-sized pharma company known for its strong presence in diabetes care.
For years, Anita did her job well. She tracked numbers, pushed her team for targets, managed escalations, and reported to the higher-ups. She was efficient. Reliable. But also… tired. Her team met goals, but there was little spark, little meaning. The work had become mechanical.
Then one day, something shifted.
At a leadership offsite, the company’s new CMO spoke about purpose — not as a branding tool, but as a belief. He shared the company’s deeper mission: “To help people at risk delay the onset of diabetes — and protect families from the lifelong burden it brings.”
He didn’t talk about just increasing market share. He talked about lives. About responsibility. About being proud of what they stand for.
At first, Anita was skeptical. “Nice words,” she thought. “But will they last beyond the presentation?”
But something about that message stayed with her. She thought about her own father, who had struggled with diabetes and lost his eyesight too early.
And she thought about her team — young Medical Representatives who were full of energy, but unsure what they were really working for.
The next week, Anita did something different.
At her monthly team meeting, she didn’t start with numbers. She started with a story — her father’s story. She shared how their product could help delay diabetes in others like him.
She looked around the room and said, “We’re not here just to meet targets. We’re here to help someone’s father, mother, or child stay healthy longer. That’s what our work is about.”
Her team went silent. Then one Medical Representative quietly said,
“No one ever explained it like that before. I never thought I was doing something that meaningful.”
That was Anita’s turning point. She stopped managing from reports and started leading with purpose. She held learning sessions, encouraged field stories, celebrated small wins that reflected patient impact — not just prescription count.
And something changed.
Her team didn’t just perform better — they showed up with heart. Doctors noticed. Prescriptions grew. Attrition dropped.
And Anita? She found her joy again — not just in what she did, but in why she did it.
- Mid-level managers are the bridge
When they embrace the purpose, they don’t just pass it down — they make it real. They become the carriers of meaning, turning numbers into lives, and goals into stories of hope.
Connect People to the Purpose – Help Them See the Bigger Picture: Employees should understand how their roles contribute to the larger mission, fostering a sense of belonging and commitment.
People don’t just want to do tasks — they want to know why their work matters.
They want to feel that what they do every day is part of something bigger, something meaningful.
When employees — whether it’s a Medical Representative, a First-Line Manager, or someone in the warehouse — understand how their work touches lives, something powerful happens.
They stop thinking, “This is just my job,” and start saying, “I’m part of a mission. I’m making a difference.”
Imagine this…
A Medical Representative walks out of a clinic knowing that by convincing a doctor to prescribe their product, they might help a young mother avoid early diabetes.
Or a warehouse executive feels proud because timely delivery means a patient won’t miss a critical dose.
That’s what connecting people to purpose looks like.
It builds pride. It creates belonging. And it inspires commitment that no bonus or incentive alone can achieve.
But this connection doesn’t happen automatically. Leaders must make it visible.
They must remind teams — through stories, recognition, and conversations — how every small action adds up to a big impact.
When people see how they fit into the larger mission, they don’t just work harder. They care deeper.
And that’s when true transformation begins — for the person, for the team, and for the organization.
- Unleash the Positive Energizers
Identifying and empowering individuals who naturally inspire others can catalyse cultural transformation.
The Spark in the Room: How One Rep Changed the Energy of an Entire Team
At Arohan Pharma, a company known for its chronic therapy range, the East Zone had been underperforming for two consecutive quarters. Targets were missed, team morale was low, and even the usually energetic frontline managers seemed defeated.
In the middle of this was a young Medical Representative from Patna named Tapan Roy. Tapan Roy wasn’t the top seller. He didn’t have years of experience. But every time he walked into a zonal review meeting, something changed.
He smiled. He encouraged others. He celebrated small wins — not just his own, but his teammates’. He shared field stories with passion, especially how he once convinced a hesitant doctor to start a patient on therapy early, possibly delaying the onset of full-blown diabetes.
One day, during a monthly call, a frustrated Area Manager interrupted the review and said, “We keep talking about low numbers. But have you all noticed how Tapan Roy keeps this room alive? Maybe what we need isn’t just strategies — maybe we need more energy like his.”
That moment opened everyone’s eyes.
The Zonal Sales Head called Tapan Roy after the meeting and said, “You may not know this, but you’re lifting the spirit of this team. That’s rare. And that’s powerful.”
From that day on, Tapan Roy was no longer just a Medical Representative. He was asked to co-host team huddles. He began mentoring new reps. He shared motivational stories at training sessions. And slowly, the culture of the East Zone began to shift.
Colleagues who were once silent started speaking up. People began sharing ideas, supporting each other, celebrating field wins again.
The numbers? They followed. But more importantly, the energy came back.
Conclusion
Having a higher purpose may not bring quick profits, but over time, it leads to something truly powerful. Purpose isn’t just an inspiring thought – it deeply affects how strong, healthy, and competitive an organization becomes.
When people feel a sense of meaning in their work, something beautiful happens. They don’t hold back their energy or commitment – they give it wholeheartedly. Not because they have to, but because they want to. It’s no longer “just a job.” It becomes a part of who they are.
They stop going through the motions and start growing. They do more—not because someone told them to, but because their heart is in it. And what they do, they do with care and excellence.
That’s the magic of purpose. When a leader awakens this in people, it doesn’t just lift individuals—it uplifts the entire organization.