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“One does not begin with answers. One begins by asking, ‘What are our questions?’” –Peter Drucker
Have you spent time and energy really thinking about the reason your company exists–its purpose? Often we spend our time dealing with the day-to-day tactical issues that we face. We ask and look for answers to questions about how to be more efficient, serve our customers better or increase profit margins. There is nothing wrong with these questions, yet they often don’t help us reframe the challenge in front of us. In order to do this, we need to ask bolder questions.
It requires a shift in mindset to go beyond the tactical to consider the core purpose of your organization. The challenge is managing the tension between the day-to-day tactics of your organization and thinking about why your business exists.
In order to develop a company purpose, you need to consider two environments.
The first environment is internal, meaning the leadership of your organization and its culture.
- Do we have the right leaders with the right mindsets?
- Are leaders aligned around a common vision and strategy?
- Is the level of trust high in the organization?
- Is there clarity and focus within the organization?
- Are your core values clear and lived out through your team members?
These are some of the questions that get at the strength of the organization, and the strength of the organization is critical in determining how successful the company will be in the external environment.
The second environment is external, meaning the customers, community and stakeholders of your organization.
- What’s our reason for being?
- Does our mission inspire commitment?
- What do we look like when we are operating at our best?
- If we ceased to exist, what impact would we have on our community?
- What are some of the major challenges that our customers or the larger world community face and how are we uniquely positioned to respond?
These are some of the broader questions that help an organization start to define its core purpose.
It’s important to look at who you have been as an organization, take what’s good from the past and build upon it as you think through who you want to become. John Donne said, “Never start with tomorrow to reach eternity. Eternity is not being reached by small steps.” Start with the long-range view and then develop the roadmap of the steps that need to be taken today, tomorrow, next month and next year. Don’t feel as though you need to do everything today but start with one small step.
Share Your Thoughts: What is the most compelling challenge you can start with today?
