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PRE-WORK: Have your team prepare for this discussion.
Collins writes about this in the HBR Article: Building Your Company’s Vision: http://hbr.org/1996/09/building-your-companys-vision/ar/1
Have your team read this article for homework before you start your Think Rhythm on Core Ideology.
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Core purpose, the second part of core ideology (after Core Values), is the organization’s reason for being.
An effective purpose reflects people’s idealistic motivations for doing the company’s work.
It doesn‘t describe what the organization does or how it does it. It describes WHY the organization does what it does.
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Long term decision about what this company wants to do beyond making money.
Gives you a foundation to grow and make decisions with purpose
helps you choose between multiple opportunities,
helps employees make the right decisions when you are not around,
inspire your employees
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Example: 3M defines its purpose not in terms of adhesives and abrasives, but has the perpetual quest to solve unsolved problems innovatively—a purpose that is always leading 3M into new fields. Over 1,000 new products developed in the past year
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Facebook: To make the world more open and connected. Your team can read more of the story of Facebook’s Core Purpose in Mark Zuckerberg’s IPO letter here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mark-zuckerberg’s-ipo-letter--why-facebook-exists.html
Other Examples:
Nike – Competition – to allow everyone the opportunity to experience the competitive spirit
Starbucks – Escape – to create a place where people can escape for a few minutes from the stresses of work and home
NOTE TO FACILITATOR: This is an educational slide with another example.
Mobility Works (Rhythm Systems client): "Making The World Accessible!" … Providing wheelchair users with the independence and personal freedom to go where they want to go, and to do what they want to do.
Other Rhythm Systems Client Examples:
Boston Centerless: To be a Role Model for US Manufacturing
Curriculum Associates: To make classrooms better places for teachers and children
Dutch Valley Foods: Honor and glorify God by helping meet the needs of others in remarkable and redeeming ways
ProService: Leverage: we provide small businesses the power to buy like a big company, and dependable administrative services and benefits that deliver peace of mind.
BioPlus: example in Rhythm University video: http://university.rhythmsystems.com/index.php/think/discover-my-core-purpose
NOTE TO FACILITATOR: This is an activity slide. This is a very fluid and conversational exercise; it doesn’t have to follow the exact order below, but the important thing is to get people talking, recognizing patterns, and capturing ideas.
Exercise:
- Start with WHAT you do. Write the statement on a flip chart or white board: "We make X products or deliver Y services”
- Next, ask "WHY is that important"? Write the answer on the flip chart or white board.
- Ask the WHY question again and again (up to 5 times), each time brainstorming and charting your answers.
- Review all the different answers to the WHY question with your team, searching for the answer that resonates most, generates some passion, and gets to the heart of your organization's Core Purpose.
The goal is to ask the question until you get to the true essence of your purpose, one that can guide the organization in the decisions it makes and attracts and motivates employees to carry out the mission.
Here are some examples of the types of WHY questions that may be helpful to ask in this exercise:
Why are we excited to come to work?
Why did we start the business in the first place?
Why do we care about our work?
Why is it important to us?
Why is it important to others?
Why this and not something else?
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These questions from Jim Collins can help you test and refine your Core Purpose:
Do you find this purpose personally inspiring, and does it make you feel proud of your company? (yes!)
Can you envision this purpose being as valid 100 years from now as it is today? (yes!)
Does this purpose help you decide which opportunities and activities to say YES to and which ones to say NO to? (yes!)
Is this purpose authentic (not merely words on paper that “sound nice”), and would it be greeted with enthusiasm rather than cynicism by your people? (yes!)
Does it describe your products, services, or customer segment? (no – that’s Brand Promise!)
Is it only about making money? (no – those are targets!)
Is it about achieving specific long-term business goals? (no– that’s a BHAG!)
You can also try “the hallway test” – walk down the hall and ask people to name your Core Purpose. They should be able to do this without hesitation. If your team doesn’t know the core purpose, then they probably aren’t passionate about it. The next slide has some ways that you can integrate your Core Purpose into your business to keep it top of mind for your team.
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Now that your Core Purpose has been discovered and tested, what’s next? You will need to roll it out to the rest of your company. You can stay on a path of progress of using and testing it to see if it excites your team and helps them make decisions.
Here are some ways to use them and keep them top of mind for your team. Decide on a few things to do now to begin using them in your company, and revisit this list periodically so you can continue to integrate them into your company’s daily life.
Working on your long term strategy is a journey rather than an event. Discovering and using your Core Purpose is an iterative process. If you or your team falls into the Red or Yellow or just haven’t been able to get to SuperGreen on your Core Purpose, you can get in a Think Rhythm to continue working on your Core Purpose.
Contact your coach if you need help discovering or finding the best ways to use your Core Purpose as a foundation to help you grow with purpose.