The structure of purpose

One of the great pleasures of being in the room when the biggest aspirations of an organisation get articulated for the first time, is witnessing the dewy eyes and goosebumps and choked up voices that even hardened owners and leaders find themselves afflicted and surprised by (“is it dusty in here?”).

When they first hear someone speak their words, aloud, that efficiently and accurately encapsulate the deepest essence of their organisation, their DNA or “soul”. Their “why”. The thing that the whole kit and caboodle has been set up to do or be. ?When previously unspoken or fuzzy sentiments that have been wafting around the place, quietly informing their choices, finally find a short string of the right, tight, tangible words that get them saying, “YES! That’s US! That's why we're HERE!”? ?

It’s a visceral reaction to a sentence or terminology they know they can now take, and rally, and inspire, and filter, and decide at all levels of their shop, and know that it’s the right stuff to focus on.

Of the high trinity of strategic decision making filters, it’s Purpose or Mission that generally rules the roost. Sinek’s “Why”. Ellis's "North Star". The ultimate benefits delivered to your chosen beneficiaries. The desired legacy defined with focus. It's true, Values bind and sustain the culture you want. Visions are compelling and powerful future destination points to motivate and propel. But your why?

IMHO, there’s nothing more important.

The picture above is a haze of 60 Purpose or Mission statements I’ve had the honor of helping clients articulate, refine or strategise for. I say honor (sounding a bit grandiose maybe), because I do firmly believe it’s the single most important line you can write and get right for any organisation (and what a special moment in time to be there when they get it bang on). Because, if it’s true, if it’s real, if they are willing to do what it takes to make it an actual thing? Think of the impact that has, not just on the ones they're committed to serving, but then on the wider world. Consider the cascade.

“Well, if THAT happens, then maybe the flow on is… damn!”?

They come in all shapes and sizes, these statements, but if I generalised, most have 3 parts.

The first part of the sentence is the HOW – the means by which we’ll focus our energies bit. It’s usually a verb, the “help, be, impact, bring, deliver, enable, build, link, support, connect, assist, ensure” bit. That choice is often a function of the nature of the organisation and their capabilities and target beneficiaries (some are explicity there to connect or represent or provide or advocate for). But it often reflects the senior team’s appetite for leadership, risk and proactivity. I often see the more cautious or conservative “help” do battle with the more front-foot “deliver” in the wordsmithing arm-wrestle around the mahogany. One is a promise to try, the other a promise to succeed. On the metaphorical plate of bacon and eggs, one is the involved chook, one is the committed pig (sorry vegans). It's your call - what will you commit to, and where will you put your chips??

The second part is the beneficiary – WHO more than anyone else are we expressly, pointedly, selectively here to serve. Maybe it’s “farmers”, or “bean bag makers”, or “people who barrack for Carlton”, or “small spotted dogs with one leg”. Very few organisations focus on “everyone”, because that’s pretty tricky (unless you’re a winery, trying to get “the world” to buy your delicious Shiraz, but even then...). Some focus on “our communities” (a definition that they understand internally). Some on “our customers”, keeping the net wider, but still with unspoken appreciation for who that generally means. Some hone in on consumers, others resellers or intermediary partners, some on market ecosystems, some on members, and some on shareholders (the latter decreasingly popular for the self-serving perceptions that can give rise to, but hey, horses for courses). The point is to point at a defined cohort that you have the deep will and some sense of ability to do something good for over the long term, because it really matters to you.

The last part is that “do something good for 'em” bit – the benefit, or the WHAT you’re trying to actually realise for that chosen cohort via your deeds. Make them happier, healthier, richer, more profitable, resilient, cured, celebrated, efficient, better represented, future-proofed, growing, inspired, enjoying quality outcomes or moments, set up for a carbon reduced future, stronger, even living better lives.? This is the guts of it. The bit they’ll remember you for. The bit that gives you the bumps and the feels. The bit you’d stay late and let spiders crawl on you to do, because in your marrow, it matters to you, and it matters to those in your branded polo shirts. I can’t tell you why it matters to you – maybe it’s a childhood story, maybe you’ve seen the consequences of doing nothing, maybe it’s where you can add some real upside from your training or experience, maybe you're in the beneficiary cohort yourself. Maybe it just matters. Be clear, as a group, on what success and happiness and rainbows and pain removal for those you care about actually looks like on the other side.

Together, the HOW, WHO and WHAT combine to describe your WHY. You can construct the sentence any way you like, there's no global purpose statement police, but the clearer you are about who gets your love, the extent and pathways you’ll commit to delivering it on, and what good that will actually do for them?

The more purposeful every single decision gets.

If you want a hand sharpening or defining your Purpose or Mission (and the Strategy that’ll help you realise it), sing out. It’s what we do.

Next week – the Big Values Quiz (and a freebie book)