In our last post, we described the importance of knowing and understanding your company’s “Purpose”—WHY you do what you do. The next step is to infuse Purpose into everything your company does, and here are 5 ways to do that:
- We all know it’s important to communicate your company’s Purpose to your employees when they first come on board. But like any message, once is never enough. Continually reinforce it and make it visible to your employees, whether they have been with you 20 years or 20 days. Post it in the breakroom, add it to staff meeting agendas, put it on a t-shirt, engrave it on a rock, write it on a wall, make it the company screen saver, name an employee recognition award after it.
- Don’t just tell your employees, live it. Circle back to your Purpose every time you announce a new product, a new initiative, or a new project. Connect your goals for each project or initiative to your Purpose. Connect your employees’ individual performance goals to your company’s Purpose.
- Include your Purpose in your decision-making process. Ask, “Which choice aligns better with our Purpose?” “If we do XYZ, will it move us toward or away from our Purpose?”
- Hire to your Purpose. Develop interview questions that tease out whether a candidate “fits” into your culture and supports your company’s Purpose.
- Measure it. Occasionally, take a step back and consider the last month, quarter, year and ask yourself, “Are we achieving our Purpose?” “Are we doing what we set out to do (or at least on the right road to get there)?” “Do we have the right People, Products, and Processes in place to achieve our Purpose–and make a Profit?”
Incorporating your company Purpose into everything you do creates a cohesive sense of direction for your staff and leadership team and helps your customers better understand the value you bring to them. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be consistent.
