Purpose, direction & goals
Connecting with purpose allows us to play a leading role in the market and unleash organisational energy.
What we do
- Crystalize organisational, departmental or team purpose
- Translate purpose into meaningful objectives and key results
- Cascade the story of purpose throughout your organisation
- Design principles and symbolic actions to leverage purpose
Meaning releases energy
Without purpose it’s hard to navigate. Priorities become vague, ambition levels become arbitrary and strategy is often minimized to making money. Conversely, with purpose we have meaning which gives us a reason to take action. Meaning releases immense energy, which is why it is critical for any business.
Research tells us that motivation driven by purpose does not have age. Millennials, Baby Boomers and Generation X are equally driven by meaning, and it is one of the few levers we can use to address low engagement across a whole company.
Anchored in reality
A clear purpose forces us to become more customer centric. A purpose anchored in reality has a clear link to a positive impact want to have on employees, customers and often society at large.
Purpose is like intent in that it comes from within. An aligned organisation start with top leaders defining the overarching purpose and vision, based in what they deeply and authentically care about.
They may be inspired by listening deeper to an existing customer base, building on existing legacy, and creating a vessel for the broader organization to chime in.
Make it come alive
Once a core purpose is forged by top leadership it’s key to cascade it throughout the organisation. Some organisations do this by inviting each department and then each individual to write their own derivative of the core purpose, e.g. allowing for more meaningful objectives and metrics to be established.
We can also benefit from a clear purpose by critically reviewing if any jobs or activities aren’t adding value and should be eliminated.
Transitioning to a company run from purpose requires us to mobilize and galvanize the system. A great way to get started is to create small wins and symbolic actions to legitimize a wave of new initiatives.
Process example: Crystallize and cascade corporate purpose
Typical consequences of unclear or lack of purpose
