Rich...! kicks around some interesting ideas in his seductively titled post, "Sex isn't sexy, kissing is" (but sex remains the endgame) He's responding to Martin Hattingh's thinking:

Profit? Nah, it doesn't really interest me per sé.

Don't get me wrong, I'm just as tickled by imaginative business models as you guys are. I can relate to the beauty of an operation which allows for almost infinite scalability in output (and thus revenue), while following an input curve which reduces exponentially, at least up to a point. Sometimes, it even makes me feel good thinking of how securely I'd be able to support a family with the profits that such a business generates.

But, for me, that's not where it's at. Me, I like to understand - and with that I mean deeply understand - how the income which makes those profits possible is actually generated. Again, I'm not referring to revenue models, or to any operational, accounting or cost-structure aspects. I'm referring to what makes the people who this revenue comes from spend that money in this first place. Why are they willing to pay, what tickles them, what entices them to part gladly with their hard-earned income?

Rich...! seems to like Martin's drift but concludes, for himself,

Profit though, and I refuse to apologise for this, is my purpose…!

Well, I'd like to suggest that the direct pursuit of any single goal can be counterproductive. Which means that Rich...! might do himself a favour by feeling good about the many postive outcomes of his work beyond the cash. And Rich...! I'm not going to let you get away with portraying yourself as a guy primarily interested in making profit; I think that might be a story you're telling yourself that doesn't actually match the facts.

For a truly brilliant take on obliquity, check out John Jay's article on the topic. Here's the intro:

Strange as it may seem, overcoming geographic obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting global business targets are the type of goals often best achieved when pursued indirectly. This is the idea of Obliquity. Oblique approaches are most effective in difficult terrain, or where outcomes depend on interactions with other people.

If you want to go in one direction, the best route may involve going in the other. Paradoxical as it sounds, goals are more likely to be achieved when pursued indirectly. So the most profitable companies are not the most profit-oriented, and the happiest people are not those who make happiness their main aim. The name of this idea? Obliquity.

Jay gives several great examples from history and business. The British victory over the French in Canada, the route of the Panama Canal, the beating of forest fires are all instances of obliquity.

For the money-minded this gets personal when he points out how companies that start to fixate on creating shareholder value often achieve the opposite of what they seek. He tells compellingly how this has afflicted ICI and Boeing, dating their falls from glory from their decision to drop more inspiring objectives in favour of focussing on making money. Serious brain food.

(By the way, this probably will interest Tony in his championing of Chris Locke's love of bricloage. One of the reasons some folks may not get "the value of blogging" is that they misunderestimate the joys of obliquity.)

Bonus Link: No sooner do I post this than I find Robin Diane is on a similar wavelength

When I was young, I played on my school's basketball team for a season. I wasn't any good. It wasn't for lack of physical ability or effort; when somebody passed me the ball, my only goal was to make a basket. I wasn't out for glory, I just didn't get it. The best player on our team spent the most time dribbling in place. She would position herself in such a way that her defender couldn't steal the ball, and then she would carefully survey the court before she made her move. I sometimes still find myself driving towards the goal with my head down, taking no time to pause and take in the landscape.

UPDATE: Intersting riff on this them at sift everything - the sports star who tries to hard to achieve, and then does better when he just has fun.