A Unified Purpose is a Rallying Cry
High-performing organizations intentionally create and sustain a strong, purposeful employee culture. While an organization’s culture is evidenced by the beliefs and behaviors of the leaders and team members, thoughtful structures, such as a unified purpose, are how high-performing cultures deliberately shape and reinforce the desired beliefs and behaviors of their employees.
A unified purpose, often conveyed in mission, vision, purpose and values statements, attracts world-class talent, creates alignment, affects performance, and focuses engaged employees. When top-performing candidates join the team, can clearly understand the goals of the future, are held accountable to these unified goals, and can use their talents to achieve success, business goals accelerate, and employees thrive.
In the midst of the uncertainty and turmoil of this past year, employees are seeking something that they can focus on, even depend on, that offers some stability. Consider your company or department’s mission, vision, purpose and values statements as well as the goals you’ve set for the next 6-9 months. Do these offer clarity, focus, purpose and direction or are they too vague and disconnected for employees to feel they can see how their work makes a difference? If you ask a few employees or leaders their feedback on how meaningful these statements are to their job role, you will quickly uncover if you need to make a change in this area.
A simple, inspiring unified purpose can be a rallying cry to bring collaboration, focus, productivity, and inclusivity.
If you are unsure where to start, look at your business strategy for the next 2-3 years.
Ask yourself and other key leaders why these goals matter to your customers and communities. This is the start to your mission or purpose – why you exist in the marketplace today.
Create dialog about the one thing your company can do in the next year to make the biggest impact on achieving those goals and making that impact. This can be your central goal which will be the guiding light that teams can align to and dream up ways to accomplish.
We all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. If we can harness the incredible talent of those on our teams to innovate, dream, and come together to move even one goal forward together in the next year, think of the difference we can make (and all the high-five's and smiles within the workplace).