“Work performed at an enterprise to simply benefit the owner is called a job. Work performed at an enterprise to benefit the world is called a cause. The average worker gets much more excited and energized when he or she is working for a cause than when simply doing a job.”
A few weeks ago I was working with a business owner who has a great idea and a product to match it. He knows his business is about to take off but wanted to make sure he had the proper culture in place in order to facilitate what would need to happen in order for the company to get to the next level. He asked me to spend a few hours with his team discussing culture and the benefits of having a strong culture. If you didn’t already knoow this; culture is the key to a business’s success or failure.
During my discussion I could tell the group was not totally on board with the leader’s vision so I decided to go a littlle deeper. I drew a diagram reflecting their Vision, Mission and Values. I explained to the group that their Vision was where they were going, it was what they aspired to “be” and the Mission was what they would need to do on a daily basis in order to achieve the Vision. I then explained to the group that the company Values served as the foundation for the company culture as the Values of an organization serve as boundaries and a filter for behavior and guide individuals on how they will conduct their daily activities in accomplishing the mission of the organization.
Then I looked at the group and said, “but Vision, Mission and Values mean nothing if the team does not understand the “Why?” behind them. Why the Vision? Why the Mission? Why the Values?”
Immediately a hand went up and one of the teammates asked the owner the 6 million dollar question, “why are we doing what we are doing?”
After a pause for thought the owner eloquently stated, “through our product, we are going to be the world leaders in changing the way our industry processes information.” (I generalized this statement in order to protect the anonymity of this company).
As soon as the owner made this statement the entire group woke up. Perplexed looks were replaced with looks of energy, desire and motivation…all because the owner clarified the “Why?”…their jobs had been turned into a cause.
If you are leading, make sure veryone is on board with the “why?”…it may be the difference between greatness and mediocrity.
BTW…make sure you and the company’s walk aligns with the “Why?” because people pick up pretty quickly when the “Why?” is simply talk.
Also…if you don’t have an organization you are leading try developing a vision and mission for your life built upon strong values.
P.E.A.C.E.
Jay@EagleLaunch.com
